Operations, deal-making, policy and markets across African mining — every story, newest first.
Zambia produced 208,992t of copper in the first quarter of 2026, down 4.27% year on year, although output from large-scale mines rose 1.8%, Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe said.
Genmin says a Middle Eastern consortium, a Shanghai-listed company, a commodity trader and a mining fund have made non-binding proposals to finance its $200m Baniaka iron ore project in south-eastern Gabon.
Rosh Pinah Zinc has commissioned a new water treatment plant at its Namibian mine, adding infrastructure needed to manage water from an expanded underground operation under the RP2.0 project.
Barrick said construction of the $2bn Lumwana Super Pit expansion in Zambia advanced on schedule in the first quarter, with 2026 capex expected at the lower end of its $750m–$850m range.
Swakop Uranium plans to spend N$235-million drilling about 100,000 metres at its Husab uranium mine in 2026, intensifying exploration across five known deposits after a 41% jump in drilling in 2025.
Gounkoto Mining Services, the Bouygues-linked contractor that mined the Gounkoto and Yalea North pits at Barrick's Loulo-Gounkoto complex, is winding up in Mali and has issued termination notices to more than 600 workers.
Sibanye-Stillwater priced an oversubscribed $500m senior notes offering on 8 May 2026 and used the proceeds to tender for older, higher-coupon Stillwater notes due 2026 and 2029, cutting group debt.
Harmony Gold is expanding its Sungazer solar programme with a 100MW plant under construction at Moab Khotsong, part of a roughly R2bn plan to add wind, solar and PPA capacity across its South African mines.
The DRC is seeking a stake in the $270m Kalumbila-Kolwezi power interconnector after Zambia's energy regulator approved construction, a line designed to carry up to 550MW between the two countries' copperbelts.
Tharisa concluded a five-year open-book mining contract with Cementation Africa for its underground transition, adopting a transparent cost-plus model over the traditional rates-based approach.
Gold deliveries to Fidelity Gold Refinery reached 9,311.92kg in Q1 2026, up 8.29% on the same quarter of 2025, with small-scale producers supplying about 6.5 tonnes.
Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt agreed on 7 May 2026 to acquire Atlantic Lithium for about $210m in cash, months after Atlantic Lithium's board rejected an earlier takeover proposal it judged undervalued its Ewoyaa project in Ghana.
A delegation from Ghana's Minerals Income Investment Fund visited Newmont's Ahafo North mine, saying the operation could exceed its original mine-life estimate and reporting no major safety incidents so far in 2026.
Mining at the Winning Consortium Simandou blocks in Guinea stopped from 28 April after an estimated 3,000 workers struck over pay, the first strike at the Baowu-led venture. Rail and port operations continued.
Guinea and Emirates Global Aluminium have settled an 18-month dispute over Guinea Alumina Corporation's bauxite licence, with Conakry paying a lump sum and taking over GAC's assets through a new state-backed company.
The DRC is weighing a stake in a $270m power link to Zambia to ease electricity shortages in its copper belt, as mining expansion outpaces the domestic grid.
Zimplats has spent $34m so far on a 45MW Phase 2A solar plant, on track for completion in the first half of its 2027 financial year, doubling its installed solar capacity to 80MW.
Ivanhoe Mines reached financial close on 30 April 2026 on a $700m senior project finance facility, arranged with Societe Generale, Absa and Nedbank, to fund Phase 2 of its Platreef mine in South Africa's Limpopo province.
The International Copper Study Group swung its 2026 forecast to a 96,000-tonne surplus in late April 2026, reversing its earlier call for a 150,000-tonne deficit.
MC Mining is preparing to commission its Makhado hard coking coal project in Limpopo while suspending operations at its unprofitable Uitkomst mine in KwaZulu-Natal.
AI-driven explorer KoBold Metals has broken ground on shaft construction at its Mingomba copper project in Zambia, targeting first output in the early 2030s.
Southern Palladium said metallurgical test work had more than doubled expected chrome recoveries at its Bengwenyama PGM project to 65%, though incorporating the improvement delayed its feasibility study to the fourth quarter.
World Gold Council data published on 29 April 2026 showed the value of first-quarter gold demand hit a record $193bn, up 74% year-on-year, as bar and coin demand rose 42%.
Sylvania Platinum's adjusted EBITDA rose 61% to $47.8m in the March 2026 quarter as the PGM basket price climbed 28%, with the debt-free company on track to beat its full-year production guidance.
