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…
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…
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…
Resolute, Nimba launch Guinea gold venture
Resolute Mining and Guinea’s state-backed Nimba Mining Gold have formed a joint venture to explore and develop gold projects in Guinea, expanding a partnership first announced…
Wia Gold lines up $360m deal for Kokoseb project
WIA Gold said on Monday it had signed indicative terms with Canada’s Sprott to borrow $360m for construction of Kokoseb, a proposed 150,000-ounce-a-year gold project in Namibia.…
Glencore wins Guinea bauxite offtake deal
GUINEA has selected Glencore Plc as the offtaker for bauxite produced by state-owned Nimba Mining, Bloomberg reports. The appointment followed an international tender, Mines and…
Zambia pushes pan-African minerals exchange
ZAMBIAN President Hakainde Hichilema is championing plans for a pan-African minerals and metals exchange, aimed at helping resource-rich nations capture more value from their…
Fortuna nears final Senegal gold permit
FORTUNA Mining expects to secure the final construction permit for its Diamba Sud gold project in Senegal within weeks in a development that will diversify the country’s mining,…
Sibanye-Stillwater will look to Africa for new gold output
SIBANYE-Stillwater has raised the prospect of weighing new gold acquisitions in Africa when returns to dealmaking in the future. “I can speculate on where I see our gold future…
Guinea eyes regional gold refining hub
GUINEA is positioning itself to become a gold refining centre for West Africa, according to mines minister Bouna Sylla, as the region’s producers increasingly look to process…
Harmony flags protected species find at Eva project
HARMONY Gold said on Tuesday it had paused land clearning at its Eva copper project in Australia’s Queensland state after identifying a protected species. The Johannesburg-listed…
Like Froneman, Sibanye’s Richard Stewart won’t take BS. Good
SIBANYE-Stillwater’s CEO Richard Stewart has rung in the changes in his short tenure at the group, pivoting the group’s focus firmly towards existing portfolio potential,…
Guinea bans raw gold exports to force local processing
GUINEA’S military president Mamadi Doumbouya has ordered an immediate halt to raw gold exports, requiring all gold to be refined domestically before leaving the country, said…
SA miners fear the worst in mineral cadastre rollout
IN May 2024, then Orion Minerals CEO Errol Smart gushed: “I’m coming off an all-time high on hearing this news.” A day earlier, the South African government had signed an…
Simandou iron ore exports surge in ramp-up milestone
IRON ore exports from the Simandou mine in Guinea surged in May hitting 2.2 million tons, sharply above April’s record of 1.3Mt, reports Bloomberg News. The improvement marks a…
Guinea unveils plan to curb bauxite exports after surge
GUINEA is to announce reforms next month aimed at restricting exports of bauxite, Bloomberg News reported on Monday. This comes after a surge in shipments from Guinea – which is…
Chalco plans $1bn Guinea alumina plant
CHINA’S largest state-owned aluminium producer is to invest $1bn in an alumina processing plant in Guinea, marking its first foray into overseas refining as Chinese companies…
Zhaojin targets African gold mines as M&A heats up
CHINA’S Zhaojin Mining Industry is scouting for gold mine acquisitions in Africa, Central Asia and the Asia Pacific, with West African countries including Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana…
Strike halts mining at Guinea’s Simandou project
A PAY dispute has halted mining operations at the Baowu-led blocks of Guinea’s giant Simandou iron ore project since last week, said Reuters on Wednesday. An estimated 3,000…
Africa has turned the screw on its gold miners. Just ask Gold Fields
RESOURCE nationalism is back in a big way in Africa’s gold sector. The latest company to come under its eye is Gold Fields, where there are concerns about the cost of renewing…