Burkina Faso joins Africa’s gold refining drive
BURKINA Faso has opened its first gold refinery as it seeks to process more of its mineral wealth at home, Bloomberg reported. State-controlled Raffinor BF, built for $19m, can…
Transnet seeks private partner for R44bn manganese corridor
TRANSNET is seeking a private partner to help expand and operate a key manganese export corridor in a project that could cost as much as R44bn, Bloomberg reported. The…
China rare earth exports to US fall ahead of summit
CHINESE exports of rare earth magnets to the US dropped sharply in August, a decline set to feature as a friction point at this week’s Trump-Xi summit in Washington, the…
MPRD in 2026: A maze of mineral policy
It is a cliché of effective industrial policy that developing an industry works best if there is “policy certainty”. It is also one of those clichés that becomes a cliché because…
Transnet is moving but a cash crisis looms
FOR most of the past decade Transnet has had an obvious problem: it wasn’t moving enough freight. Its latest results show good progress on that front, and suggest that the…
Ivory Coast plans gold refinery start in 2027
IVORY COAST plans to start operating a gold refinery in the first half of 2027 as it seeks to expand local processing and become Africa’s largest gold producer by 2035, Bloomberg…
Europe risks missing out on gallium boom
EUROPE could miss out on a critical high-tech metal even though it is set to produce enough to meet its own needs, said the Financial Times citing London-listed energy company…
Glencore in talks with Guinea on alumina, energy
GUINEA is in talks with Glencore over possible investments in alumina refining and energy after the two sides struck a bauxite deal last week, Reuters reported. State-owned Nimba…
MMG pushes EU to clear Anglo nickel deal
CHINESE-backed miner MMG has urged European Union regulators to approve its $500m purchase of Anglo American’s Brazilian nickel assets, despite concerns the deal would hand…
Three years of giving junior mining a voice
On 12 September 2023, a significant new chapter was written in South Africa’s mining industry at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The launch of the Junior Mining Council…
Switzerland bans Sudanese gold imports
SWITZERLAND has banned imports of Sudanese gold, including metal routed through third countries, according to a media release from development organisation SWISSAID on Thursday.…
Transnet targets leap in coal exports despite cash squeeze
TRANSNET has targeted 65 million tons (Mt) in delivered coal exports after another year of rail volume growth, but debt and weak cash generation have put a brake on its ambition.…
Report warns of Russian dominance in uranium supply
RUSSIA’S share of global uranium mining capacity could climb above a third by 2040, a level of dominance that risks compromising the energy security of western nations as demand…
What resource nationalism means for Africa’s miners
Governments across Africa are seeking to assert greater control over their mineral wealth by rewriting mining codes, demanding larger equity stakes or greater local…
Zambia targets $1.8bn from small-scale gold mining
ZAMBIA could unlock more than $1.8bn from its small-scale gold industry by bringing informal production and trading into the formal market, Bloomberg reported. Kakenenwa…
Zinc extends rally as supply squeeze bites
ZINC climbed to its highest level in more than four years as supply disruptions tightened the market, Bloomberg reported. The metal, used mainly to galvanise steel, rose as much…
Can De Beers make diamonds forever again?
So … diamonds are forever, you say. Are we sure about that? The diamond market has, over the past few years, seen a cataclysmic shift that threatens its foundations to the core…
Ghana bans unrefined gold dore exports from 1 September
GHANA’S GoldBod has ordered that artisanal gold dore bought by self-financing aggregators must be refined domestically before export from 1 September, Reuters reported. The…
SA coal exports may hit 75Mt supply ceiling, says Exxaro
SOUTH Africa’s coal industry may struggle to supply more than about 75 million tonnes a year to the Richards Bay export corridor even if Transnet restores rail capacity above…
Exxaro lifts Grootegeluk rail shipments 50%
EXXARO Resources has recorded a roughly 50% improvement in direct coal railings from its Grootegeluk mine in the Waterberg coalfield in Limpopo to Richards Bay, CEO Ben Magara…