Ouagadougou: The first deposit of coltan, a mineral used in high-tech industry, was discovered in the Issia area, in the center-west of Ivory Coast. This is what Agence France Presse reports, referring to Koné Moussa Seydou, general director of the Ivory Coast Mining Development Company (Sodemi).According to him, the company was one of the first in West Africa to embark on the exploration of this mineral. The company sought help from Chinese partners by entering into an agreement to create a joint company with state-owned company Ivoire Coltan (IC) to develop the deposit.The company's shares are divided between Sodemi (51%), the Chinese partner (39%) and the Ivorian government (10%).Ivory Coast is already actively mining minerals such as gold, nickel, manganese and bauxite. Coltan is an important element in the manufacture of cell phones and computers.The Democratic Republic of Congo holds most of the world's reserves of this mineral, particularly in its eastern region where fighting is raging between the army and M23 rebels accused of being supported from outside.A large Burkinabè community lives in Issia, attracted by the flourishing agricultural activities that developed.Source: Burkina Information Agency