Operations, deal-making, policy and markets across African mining — every story, newest first.
NeoTerra Group has secured the right to increase its ownership of the Monte Muambe mining project in Mozambique from 51% to 70%, after meeting the spending requirements for the third phase of its farm-out agreement.
Gabon has cancelled 52 mining titles after a government audit identified regulatory violations, with several gold permits among those revoked. The decision could open the affected concessions to new operators and give state-owned Société équatoriale des mines (SEM) a greater role in the country’s gold sector.
BME, the explosives and blasting solutions business within Omnia Holdings, has developed VIPERTRON, an electronic initiation system designed to improve blast timing, precision and reliability at mines and quarries.
Marula Mining has completed due diligence on nine prospecting licences in Tanzania, moving closer to a proposed acquisition that would give it a 95% economic interest in a 170-square-kilometre exploration portfolio near its Kinusi Copper Mine.
Volvo Group will launch a dedicated mining business on 1 January 2027, bringing its trucks, construction equipment and autonomous solutions under one organisation to serve mining companies and contractors.
Caterpillar is preparing to launch the R3200, a 22-tonne-class underground load-haul-dump (LHD) loader designed to move more material per cycle while improving fuel efficiency in underground mining operations.
South African mine safety technology company Booyco Electronics has launched a Missing Person Locator (MPL) designed to help mines locate workers during underground emergencies, including fires and rockfalls.
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have detained around 300 Chinese nationals in a crackdown on suspected illegal mining in the country’s copper belt, with most of the detentions reported in Kolwezi, a major copper and cobalt mining centre.
Ghana has ordered its mining regulator to standardise wages and employment conditions across the mining industry as multinational operators prepare to transfer more mining operations to local contractors by the end of 2026.
Vedanta Zinc International has opened its R10-billion Gamsberg Phase II concentrator plant in South Africa’s Northern Cape, doubling the mine’s annual ore-processing capacity as the company considers further investment in local zinc refining.
Rio Tinto and venture builder Founders Factory have selected five startups for the fifth cohort of their Mining Tech Accelerator, backing technologies focused on geohazard monitoring, faster metal analysis, critical-mineral refining, mine planning and copper exploration.
De Beers has raised its 2026 diamond production target to 25–28 million carats, up from its initial forecast of 21–26 million carats, despite the suspension of operations at its Venetia mine in South Africa.
Kodal Minerals has signed a binding agreement with Ghanaian consultancy GH Geo-Consult Limited to acquire up to an 80% interest in the Asamankese Lithium Project in Ghana’s Eastern Region, adding a new exploration asset to its West African portfolio.
South32 has secured shareholder approval for the sale of its aluminium assets to US-based Alcoa in a transaction valued at up to US$5.6 billion, advancing a major restructuring of the Australian miner’s portfolio.
South Africa’s Steenkampskraal Monazite Mine has launched the first phase of its commercial monazite concentrate plant in the Western Cape, marking a move towards domestic processing of rare earth minerals.
Ethiopia has opened a $50 million precious metals refinery in Addis Ababa, giving the country new capacity to refine gold locally and attract supplies from neighbouring countries.
Zambia’s Chambishi copper mine has recorded a new milestone in underground development, with a tunnel-boring machine excavating 422.4 metres in one month during trials on the Southeast Orebody Project.
Mali’s mining sector is beginning to see movement in exploration licensing, with 21 permits processed between August and September 2026, according to Fousseni Tougela, president of the Mali Chamber of Mines.
This week’s Mining Wrap covers critical minerals negotiations, geological mapping, equipment investments and responsible mineral sourcing, alongside new technologies for fleet management, mine safety and environmental monitoring.
Vedanta's Konkola Copper Mines plans a $317m, 300MW coal-fired power plant in southern Zambia, as President Hakainde Hichilema presses the company to accelerate investment to support copper growth.
Tharisa priced a $300m, five-year bond on 11 September 2026 through its Arxo Finance subsidiary to complete construction of the Karo Platinum project in Zimbabwe, targeting first ore to the mill in late 2027.
Zambia exported 446,100t of refined copper in the first half of 2026, up 7.4%, while national mine production grew only 0.45% to 447,200t, official and company data show.
Pan African Resources has completed a definitive feasibility study on its Soweto Cluster tailings retreatment project, pricing it at R3.68bn and pencilling in a final investment decision for December 2026.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested a director of Orequest over an alleged scheme to smuggle more than 720 tonnes of raw lithium ore to Mozambique using fraudulent export papers.
