Our Story
From one excavator in the Kayes region of Mali to six countries across Africa. A story built on trust.
Where It All Began
Modest Beginnings,
Lasting Partnerships.
In 2002, in Kayes, Mali — a prime mining area during the gold exploration boom — Abdoulaye Diallo started a small earthmoving and equipment company called Société de Travaux Publics (SFTP). As he recalls: “Looking back on such a humble beginning, at that time our fleet comprised a single excavator and truck.”
SFTP, part of the Diallo and Sons Group, grew through a focus on strong client relationships and delivering quality projects. There was no grand launch. The company’s philosophy was straightforward: employ local people from villages close to the mines, and provide what Diallo calls “an ease of doing business with zero arbitration and a great deal of flexibility.”
What began as a single contract grew, year by year, through trust — earned on every site, with every client, through every challenge.
Our Journey
Since 2002 Growing Together
From a single excavator in Mali to operations across six African countries. Each milestone built on the trust earned in the one before.
SFTP Founded in Kayes, Mali
SFTP was founded in 2002 in Kayes, Mali, as a small earthmoving company. As Abdoulaye Diallo recalls: “Looking back on such a humble beginning, at that time our fleet comprised a single excavator and truck.” Part of the Diallo and Sons Group (DSG), SFTP once accounted for 80% of total mining output in Mali and Burkina Faso.
First Major Contracts
Partnering with Randgold Resources, SFTP earned the Sadiola and Tabakoto contracts — the company's first large-scale mining work. Through a focus on strong client relationships and delivering quality projects, the business grew.
Gounkoto Contract
Winning the Gounkoto contract deepened our presence in Mali and cemented our reputation as a reliable partner for major gold mining operations. Each project brought new capabilities and strengthened our operating systems.
Expansion Begins
The Loulo contract expanded our Mali portfolio, and SFTP established operations in Côte d'Ivoire — our first step beyond Mali. A second country meant new regulatory environments, new communities, and a broader vision.
West Africa Growth
Rapid expansion across the region: Bonikro in Côte d'Ivoire (2013), then Houndé in Burkina Faso (2015). SFTP established operations in Senegal and Burkina Faso, deepening our understanding of operating across borders.
Multi-Country Operations
Winning the Essakane, Sissingue, and Mako contracts put us across four West African nations with a rapidly growing fleet and workforce. Multi-country operations demanded new systems, stronger governance, and a different kind of leadership.
Continued Growth
The Baboto and Ity contracts added further depth to our West African portfolio. Each new project reinforced our ability to mobilise quickly, deliver consistently, and earn repeat business from clients like Endeavour Mining and IAMGOLD.
Becoming Corica
We had outgrown our origins. The rebrand from SFTP to Corica was more than a name change — it was a full systems transformation. New governance, new safety culture, new quality management. The brand finally matched what the company had become.
Underground Launch
Rosh Pinah in Namibia marked two firsts: our sixth country and our entry into underground mining. A new capability that expanded what Corica could offer and demonstrated our ability to grow into complex, technical operations.
Triple ISO Certification
BSI validated our management systems with three ISO certifications: ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment), and ISO 45001 (Health & Safety). The certifications speak for themselves.
Where We Are Today
Over 4,000 people, more than 2,000 machines, operating across six countries. Triple ISO certified, with the Corica Academy training the next generation. As Diallo puts it: “Corica represents the heart of Africa, and our way of contract mining is about more than machines — it’s about bringing people together.”
The Transformation
From SFTP to Corica
By 2018, we were growing faster than our systems could support. We were winning contracts across multiple countries, but our brand, our processes, and our governance hadn’t kept pace. The company we had become didn’t match the name on the door.
The transformation from SFTP to Corica was a deliberate decision to build a company worthy of the trust our clients placed in us. New governance frameworks, a safety culture embedded at every level, quality management systems validated by BSI with triple ISO certification. Not just a rebrand — a reinvention.
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Corica Mining Services
Our core business. Surface and underground mining services across six African countries. Open pit, load and haul, drill and blast, mine management.
SFTP Civils
Civil engineering and construction. Roads, dams, tailings facilities, mine infrastructure — the foundations that mining operations depend on.
ESSE Supply & Logistics
Equipment supply, maintenance, and logistics. Keeping operations running across remote sites and challenging supply chains.
Our Presence Today
Across Africa
Six countries. Fourteen active projects. Trusted by the continent’s leading gold and mineral producers including AngloGold Ashanti, Endeavour Mining, and Dundee Precious Metals.
Countries
Active Projects
People
Machines
Where We’re Going
The Next Chapter
Is Being Written Now.
Our story isn’t finished. We’re expanding our footprint into new countries, deepening our underground mining capabilities, and investing in the Corica Academy to train the next generation of African mining professionals.
The goal hasn’t changed since 2002: do more for Africans than anyone else in mining. The scale has changed. The conviction hasn’t.
Explore Our Impact
Discover how we’re building lasting value — through safety, community, training, and innovation.
Our Impact