Operations, deal-making, policy and markets across African mining — every story, newest first.
South Africa's Portfolio Committee on Mineral and Petroleum Resources received a briefing on the implementation of the new mining licensing system, formally tracking a project that has already slipped several deadlines.
Barrick Mining has agreed to pay Mali $430m to end a two-year row over the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex, with Bamako dropping criminal charges and freeing detained staff.
Caledonia Mining published the Bilboes feasibility study, showing a post-tax NPV of about $580m and an IRR above 32%, and decided to proceed with the Zimbabwean gold project.
Ivanhoe Mines says hydropower delivery from the refurbished Inga II dam to its Kamoa-Kakula copper complex is set to rise from 50MW to 100MW in the first quarter of 2026, under a long-term deal with DRC utility SNEL.
Barrick and Mali's government have reached a settlement ending their two-year dispute over the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex, restoring the miner's operational control and dropping the arbitration case.
Manganese ore prices stayed under pressure through 2025 and into 2026 as oversupply, driven partly by strong South African and Gabonese exports, left about six million tonnes stockpiled at Chinese ports.
Vedanta Resources launched CopperTech Metals, a US-domiciled company to own and operate Zambia's Konkola Copper Mines, on 7 November 2025, alongside plans for a $1.5bn investment and an 11.9% stake sale worth about $372m.
Assmang has permanently closed its Beeshoek iron ore mine near Postmasburg and begun retrenching 622 employees, after ArcelorMittal South Africa ended the offtake agreement that kept the mine viable.
Ivanhoe Mines' third-quarter profit fell to $31m, down two-thirds year-on-year, as seismic-related flooding continued to depress copper output at Kamoa-Kakula.
De Beers grew rough diamond production 38% in the third quarter of 2025, selling into a weak market at discounted margins as Anglo American pressed on with the group's sale.
RMB Morgan Stanley has warned that South African iron ore exporters could lose some of the pricing premium that has cushioned them, as freight costs rise and Chinese steelmakers favour pellets over lumpy ore.
Harmony Gold finalised its US$1.01bn acquisition of MAC Copper on 24 October 2025, taking full ownership of the CSA copper mine in New South Wales and adding copper to its production mix for the first time at scale.
Wholesale lab-grown diamond prices have crashed as much as 96% since 2018, prompting Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and the DRC to fund a joint marketing push for natural stones.
Newmont said on 23 October 2025 that its new Ahafo North mine had reached commercial production, expecting 275,000-325,000oz a year over an initial 13-year mine life.
Mining has resumed at Barrick's Loulo-Gounkoto complex in Mali after a nine-month suspension, with a court-appointed administrator overseeing the restart while the ownership dispute remains unresolved.
Construction at the Karo Platinum project in Zimbabwe progressed with ball mills being installed and a dam expansion under way, as the Tharisa-backed mine works towards planned output of 190,000 oz a year.
The US Defense Logistics Agency cancelled a tender for up to 7,500 tonnes of cobalt worth as much as $500m, its first attempt to buy the metal since 1990, citing unresolved issues with the contract's terms.
The Democratic Republic of Congo formally lifted its cobalt export ban on 16 October 2025, moving to a quota system after eight months of suspension that had roiled global battery-metal markets.
Tharisa set FY2026 guidance of 145,000 to 165,000 oz of PGMs and 1.5 to 1.65 million tonnes of chrome concentrate, building on a strong fourth quarter at its South African mine.
Tharisa has guided FY2026 production of 145,000 to 165,000 ounces of platinum group metals and up to 1.65-million tonnes of chrome concentrate, building on a strong fourth quarter at its South African mine.
Kenmare Resources has begun commissioning an upgraded Wet Concentrator Plant A at its Moma mine in Mozambique, a step toward mining the giant Nataka ore zone that holds about 70% of the mine's mineral resources.
The International Copper Study Group forecast a 2025 surplus giving way to a 150,000-tonne deficit in 2026, a call that anticipated the tight market later blamed for record prices.
Ivanhoe Mines reported record quarterly zinc output at Kipushi and copper production in line with guidance at Kamoa-Kakula, as recovery from May's flooding gathered pace.
As the DRC's quota system approached, Chinese cobalt refiners began dissolving cobalt metal into sulphate instead of using scarce hydroxide feedstock, even though the process is slower and less efficient.
