Mining & Trade News

Globe Metals puts Kanyika Niobium Project stakes on sale

By Jacqueline MONJEZA

ASX-listed Globe Metals & Mining says it is in early stage discussions with several parties over the future of the Kanyika Niobium Project in northern Malawi. The discussions include possible joint ventures, investment, funding, offtake agreements and project development opportunities.

Interim CEO Charles Altshuler says in a statement part of those discussions include confidential and incomplete negotiations with Sinomine (Hong Kong) Rare Metals Resources Co., Limited (“Sinomine”), a subsidiary of Sinomine Resource Group Co., Ltd, a Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE:002738) listed global mining and resource development group. 

The negotiations are with respect to a potential transaction involving the acquisition of 100% of the shares in Globe’s UK subsidiary through which its interest in the Kanyika Project is held.

Sinomine specializes in copper, lithium and strategic minerals, with operations and project experience across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. As of March 31 2026, Sinomine has net assets of approximately US$1.88 billion, revenues of approximately US$1 billion in 2025 and net profits of approximately US$68 million. The group supplies leading participants in the global battery and electric vehicle supply chain.

Globe has stressed that no binding agreement has been reached. Any final transaction would also require shareholder approval, while there is no certainty that the proposed deal will ultimately be concluded.

Globe also says it continues to advance the Kanyika Project in the ordinary course while negotiations continue. The company is also reviewing other potential mining and mineral projects, although it has not yet decided to proceed with any particular opportunity.

“Globe continues to progress the Kanyika Project in the ordinary course while the above negotiations and discussions continue,” Altshuler says.

ASX-listed Lindian Resources Executive Director Zac Komur says the Kangankunde Rare Earths Project in Balaka remains on schedule to start production in the fourth quarter of 2026, with construction and mining preparations making significant progress. 

In a statement published on the Australian Stock Exchange, Komur explains that front-end commissioning is targeted for October this year, while practical completion is expected by mid-November.

He says the project has now reached a major mining-readiness milestone, with access established to the top of the Stage 1 pit and the haul road completed. 

Komur says explosives are already on site after the necessary approvals, while a production drill rig is drilling the first blast pattern ahead of the planned first blast. About 27,000 tonnes of ore have been stockpiled on the run-of-mine pad.

He says construction of the processing plant is also progressing, with major civil and structural works advancing ahead of schedule. 

Construction of the Tailings Storage Facility is about 50 percent complete, while the 27-kilometre power corridor, including 269 poles, has been completed to facilitate connection to the Balaka Electricity Supply Cooperation of Malawi ( ESCOM) substation.

Komur says the project has maintained a strong safety record, recording more than 800,000 lost-time-injury-free work hours across a workforce of 3,318 personnel. 

He hails the government of Malawi and regulatory stakeholders for their support, particularly in securing explosives approvals and completing the required compliance processes.

Meanwhile, Komur says Lindian is advancing plans for Stage 2 of the project, with 7,764.1 metres of infill drilling completed. 

He says samples are being processed to support an updated Mineral Resource Estimate and a feasibility study, which is targeted for completion in December 2026. 

The proposed expansion will provide for a 4.0 million-tonne-per-year development pathway, subject to the feasibility study and final investment decision.

The Natural Resources Justice Network (NRJN), a grouping of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) operating in Malawi’s mineral sector, has urged the Malawi government to take bold steps that will create a conducive environment for value addition as various players in the sector are advancing prospecting projects for critical minerals.

Speaking after a two-day Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW) webinar, Coordinator for NRJN Kennedy Rashid said the country is yet to align its strategies to those of the continent and that there is a need to take transformative steps to reap from the minerals.

Rashid said SARW webinar was one of the platforms that laid out a clear vision for Africa to move beyond raw mineral extraction and use its resources for true structural transformation.

“Even though the government is believed to be working on harmonising legal and regulatory frameworks with other African nations frameworks, like directly supporting the African Union's Green Minerals Strategy, bold steps are yet to be made that can create the required environment for value addition.”

“While Malawi's ambition is clear, the key challenge lies in translating policy into tangible results.”

“As noted in the recent Mining Diagnostic Survey Report, one of the key challenges that Malawi has is to translate what theoretically is on paper into practice and that all I can say in short is that ‘ambition without capacity is not a strategy’.”

Rashid, however, commended Malawi's active presence at forums like the African Mining Indaba saying it signals government’s commitment to a unified African voice in global negotiations which strengthens Mineral Diplomacy.

He said the success of these various frameworks depends on building the technical and institutional capacity and implementation.

Rashid said: “The country's primary failures are not in attending summits, but in the domestic governance of its mineral wealth.”

“Critical shortcomings include government weak revenue capture, secrecy and lack of oversight and limited participation of citizens.”

“Despite the various gaps, mining has shown that is has great potential and created a lot of positive social and economic expectations.”

The webinar also dwelt on political economy of green minerals whereby the transition is not purely technical but a power struggle.

The global demand is creating new dependencies, and Africa must leverage this to renegotiate its position in global supply chains away from being a raw material periphery.

On Mineral Resource Governance, the webinar fought for an urgent need for transparent, accountable, and equitable legal frameworks to prevent the resource curse, ensuring that contracts are beneficial and revenues are reinvested into local development.

It also tackled the need for Africa to adopt a unified, proactive foreign policy to engage trading partners (EU, US, China) as equal negotiators, using collective bargaining to secure fair pricing, technology transfer, and local processing investments.

Malawi's critical minerals portfolio includes a diverse range of resources that are essential for modern technologies and the global energy transition.

These minerals are distributed across various regions of the country, with significant concentrations in the northern and southern territories.

The country's geological formations harbor an impressive array of critical minerals, including uranium, rare earth elements (REEs), niobium, graphite, rutile, and tantalum.

These minerals serve as fundamental components in renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles, aerospace applications, and digital devices.

As global demand for these technologies accelerates, the strategic value of Malawi's resources continues to appreciate.

ASX- listed Fortuna Metals has announced a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for its Mkanda Rutile-Graphite Project in Mchinji, confirming the deposit as one of the world’s largest natural rutile discoveries and strengthening Malawi’s position as an emerging hub for critical minerals.

Malawi has emerged as one of the world’s most important jurisdictions for natural rutile and coarse flake graphite discoveries, demonstrating the potential for very large-scale, near-surface rutile graphite systems hosted in weathered basement-derived material.

Fortuna reports an inferred mineral resource of 298 million tonnes grading 0.87 percent rutile and 1.19 percent total graphite carbon at a 0.7 percent rutile cut-off grade. The estimate contains approximately 159 million tonnes at 0.98% rutile and 1.11% TGC, making Mkanda one of the world’s top six contained rutile deposits.

Fortuna CEO, Tom Langley, comments “I am extremely pleased to deliver our maiden Inferred Mineral Resource estimate at Mkanda of 2.6 million tonnes of contained rutile at a high grade of 0.87%, placing Mkanda in the top six rutile deposits globally.”

“When you combine today’s MRE with the recent high purity 96.6% Titanium dioxide rutile product, the large high grade graphite resource and potential additional streams of zircon and monazite, it is clear Mkanda is evolving into a strategic critical mineral project of significance.”

 “It is encouraging to have received positive results of up to 10m @ 1.43% rutile from the central Kahuna prospect, now emerging as a multi-kilometer high grade rutile anomaly. These results will be included in the next updated MRE.”

“We continue to progress the project at pace with multiple work streams running in parallel, including early stage conceptual mining and pilot plant studies, graphite flotation test work and air core drilling underway.”

“The Company sees clear potential to grow the resource base, define higher-grade zones and advance Mkanda as a low-capital-intensity, scalable rutile-graphite development opportunity for Malawi with the potential for high value co-products of zircon and monazite.”

Natural rutile is one of the world’s highest grade titanium feedstocks and is used in the production of titanium pigments, aerospace components, medical equipment, welding electrodes and increasingly in the next generation robotics, where lightweight, high strength materials are essential. Rutile is currently selling for approximately US$1,100-1,300 per tonne, underscoring its strategic value.

Titanium alloys allow complex, lightweight construction techniques that reduce energy consumption while maintaining operational effectiveness. Advances in robotics driven by these materials also contribute significantly to industrial automation, including precision tasks like medical equipment handling and high-tech manufacturing.

As Fortuna Metals continues drilling and technical studies at Mkanda, the project has the potential to become a major source of rutile and graphite while strengthening Malawi’s position as an emerging global supplier of critical minerals. With further resource expansion and feasibility work planned, the company says the next phase of exploration is expected to determine the project’s full development potential.

Mkanda is located on the Lilongwe Plain in central Malawi. The area is underlain by rocks of the Basement Complex, including paragneisses and orthogneisses associated with the Mozambique Belt.

Fortuna’s Mkanda tenure covers approximately 658km² across the Lilongwe Plain, with approximately 70km strike extent of the same Lilongwe Plain weathered gneiss that hosts the rutile and graphite at Kasiya. The project is located 30km west of the capital city Lilongwe. The landscape is generally flat to gently undulating.

Introduction

In 2024, the Malawi government launched the Agriculture, Tourism and Mining (ATM) strategy as a vehicle to accelerate the country towards the 2063 vision. It was the first time mining was being elevated to the level of long-prioritised industries like agriculture, a clear statement by policymakers recognising the significant potential of Malawi's mineral resources in transforming the country's socio-economic status. However, much of this attention has been directed toward the conventionally defined critical mineral resources like rare earths, rutile, graphite, and others. This focus is not misplaced. But it is incomplete.

There is a category of mineral resources whose strategic importance is more immediate and far less discussed: agrominerals. Agromineral resources are minerals and rocks that enhance soil productivity both chemically by providing nutrient sources to soils and plants and physically, by improving soil physical properties. In short, they are the raw material foundation of inorganic fertilizer production. With the exception of nitrogen, every major plant nutrient is derived from mined minerals. For a country where agriculture underpins the livelihoods of over 80% of the population, the question of where Malawi sources its fertilizers is a question about national survival. This article argues that agromineral resources are Malawi's most strategic and critical mineral resources, and that the country has both the geological endowment and the policy opportunity to act on that recognition.

Malawi's inorganic fertilizer requirements are split roughly equally between urea, which supplies nitrogen, and NPK-based products, which supply phosphorus and potassium, this article focuses on the latter. Nitrogen is synthesised from atmospheric gas through an energy-intensive industrial process, hence presents a more complex domestic production challenge and falls outside the scope of this discussion.

Agrominerals as Malawi's Most Critical and Strategic Resources

The persistence of hunger in a country endowed with arable land, reliable water sources, and agromineral potential is not merely a humanitarian concern, it is an economic one with measurable consequences at every level of national life. A population that cannot meet its basic nutritional needs cannot learn, work, or invest productively. This is not a theoretical proposition; Malawi's own data bears it out.

Agriculture contributes between 23% and 33% of GDP, rising to nearly 49% when the broader food system is included. With over 80% of the population dependent on rain-fed agriculture, fertilizer price shocks frequently translate into national economic disruptions. A report by the African Union Commission (AUC, 2015) titled The Cost of Hunger in Africa revealed that malnutrition costs Malawi 10.3% of its annual GDP. Independently, a panel of expert economists at a Copenhagen Consensus Conference in 2008 concluded that addressing malnourishment should rank among the top priorities for policymakers and development partners, given its compounding effects on health, schooling, and labour productivity.

Food shortages drive inflation, particularly in maize. During supply crises, maize prices have risen sharply, eroding household purchasing power across income groups. At the same time, reduced domestic food production forces the country to import maize, straining the limited foreign exchange reserves which are largely earned through agricultural exports which tightens the fiscal position at precisely the moment when food insecurity is most acute.

Research by the MwAPATA Institute and Michigan State University's Food Security Group found that 90% of the year-on-year increases in domestic fertilizer prices in Malawi are attributable to external factors like changes in global fertilizer prices, international freight costs, and Kwacha depreciation. Only 10% reflects changes in domestic margins. Supply chain disruptions, exemplified by the Russia-Ukraine war, have in the past delayed fertilizer arrivals past optimal planting windows, with direct consequences for yield. This means that Malawi's fertilizer price environment is almost entirely determined by forces outside its control. No subsidy programme, however well-designed, can insulate smallholder farmers from a structural vulnerability of that magnitude over the long term. Tellingly, despite the compelling economic case for food security interventions, investments with more visible short-term returns continue to take precedence in fiscal budgets.

The lack of viable substitutes for major plant nutrients, the centrality of fertilizer to Malawi's economic stability, and the structural supply chain vulnerability created by near-total import dependence collectively make agrominerals the country's most critical and strategically important mineral resources. This assessment, however, is not unique to Malawi. The USA, EU, and several other major economies have formally added phosphate and potash minerals to their critical minerals lists in recognition of exactly these dynamics. The difference is that those countries have acted on the classification. Malawi has not.

Malawi's Agro-Mineral Resources Potential

Malawi's position within the Chilwa Alkaline Province (CAP) gives it a geological endowment that is relevant to both technology minerals and agrominerals. The carbonatite and alkaline intrusions of the CAP are enriched in the macronutrients that are most critical to agriculture. Rock phosphate deposits have been identified at Tundulu and Songwe Hill. In addition, Lindian Resources' Kangankunde REE project will generate a phosphate by-product as part of its processing stream.

Critically, a 2020 study conducted by Dr Annock Chiona and colleagues at Newcastle University concluded that nepheline syenites from the CAP intrusions are high-potential alternative potash sources (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Distribution of carbonatite and alkaline intrusions in Malawi. The intrusions indicated with asterisk (*) are known nepheline syenites while those indicated with double stars (**) comprise both carbonatite and nepheline syenite.

Source: A.G. Chiona, et al. (2020). Petrology and geochemistry of selected nepheline syenites from Malawi and their potential as alternative potash sources

Beyond phosphate and potash, Malawi hosts a range of other agromineral deposits whose distribution and agricultural applications are summarised in Table 1 below.

Toward a National Agrominerals Strategy

The policy reforms required to develop Malawi's agromineral potential are not uniform in their time horizons. Some interventions can yield results in the short term; others require a decade or more of sustained commitment. A coherent national strategy must address both, sequencing actions according to what is immediately achievable while building toward structural self-sufficiency.

1. Exploration as a Strategic Priority

Given their national importance, agrominerals should be formally classified as strategic mineral resources, with government taking the lead in exploration through the empowerment of the Malawi Mining Investment Company (MAMICO) and the Geological Survey Department (GSD). Government investment in exploration will reduce risk, establish the evidence base, and create the necessary conditions to attract private capital into mining, downstream processing, and manufacturing.

2. Establishing a National Fertilizer Manufacturing Entity

Malawi should establish a state-owned fertilizer manufacturing entity to ensure reliable and affordable supply for domestic agriculture. The case for state leadership rests not on ideological grounds but on structural ones: fertilizer production in a food-insecure, landlocked country is a matter of national security, and national security objectives are consistently subordinated when production decisions are governed solely by commercial returns.

The private sector has already recognised the opportunity that government policy has yet to fully act on. Napoleon Dzombe's Mtalimanja Holdings is constructing a fertilizer manufacturing plant in Dowa. The plant will process imported raw materials, and however efficiently it operates, if the phosphate and potash inputs feeding it are sourced entirely from overseas, fertilizer prices and availability will remain vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. The missing link is domestic raw material production from Malawi's own geological endowment, and that is precisely where state intervention becomes indispensable.

Malawi's history with state-owned enterprises carries cautionary lessons that this proposal must take seriously and plan for deliberately. The entity should be established with an independent board appointed on technical and commercial merit, ring-fenced funding drawn from a dedicated levy on fertilizer imports, and a performance mandate tied explicitly to fertilizer price stability and domestic raw material utilisation rather than to revenue alone. A joint venture structure in which a strategic technical partner holds a minority stake alongside the state would introduce private sector discipline and operational expertise while preserving public control over the mandate. Botswana's Debswana model, in which the state and De Beers each hold 50%, offers one precedent for how state ownership and private technical competence can be structured to serve national strategic objectives without sacrificing operational credibility.

The investment case, when set against current subsidy expenditure, is more achievable than it may appear. The 2025/26 budget allocated MK 241.07 billion, approximately $139 million, to Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP) after a mid-term increase of 116%. That is a single season's subsidy commitment. Minbos Resources' phosphate fertilizer manufacturing plant in Angola, producing granulated phosphate fertilizer from domestically mined rock, was capitalised at $8 million in plant costs with total project investment under $65 million, within the range of what Malawi currently spends subsidising imported fertilizer in a single year.

3. Leveraging Agromineral By-Products from Existing Mining Operations

Developing mining projects takes time, often up to a decade from exploration to production, yet Malawi's food security needs are immediate. A practical near-term intervention is to leverage existing and pipeline mining operations to secure agromineral by-product streams while domestic capacity is being developed.

A clear example is Lindian Resources, which has indicated that its processing activities through the SARECO MREC facility will generate a phosphate-rich by-product stream with potential for fertilizer application. The company has already signalled engagement with stakeholders on offtake agreements with fertilizer distributors in Kazakhstan. For a country with a critical need for phosphate fertilizers, allowing such products to be fully absorbed into external markets without negotiating a domestic supply allocation would represent a material strategic oversight. Government should proactively engage with Lindian and similar operators to secure a portion of these materials for the domestic market at preferential terms, providing an immediate bridge while local agromineral industries are developed.

Similar engagement, whether through MDAs or other instruments, should be initiated for the Songwe and Tundulu projects, whose geology carries phosphate by-product potential alongside primary rare earth targets. The principle should be established as policy. Where mining operations generate agromineral by-products, domestic food security interests take precedence over full export allocation. This is not an unusual position, many resource-producing nations apply analogous domestic supply obligations to strategic commodities.

4. Empowering Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners

A critical but underappreciated component of an agrominerals strategy is the financial support and market integration of artisanal and small-scale miners (ASMs) already supplying agricultural minerals domestically. At present, there is a clear structural disconnect between local mining capacity and industrial demand.

Familjisa, for example, produces powdered gypsum for agricultural use, yet fertilizer blending companies continue to import gypsum at higher cost. Addressing this requires government support to integrate ASM domestic agromineral supply into the national fertilizer value chain.

Conclusion

The critical minerals conversation in Malawi is, in its broad direction, a sound one. Developing the country's geological endowment for economic benefit is a legitimate and achievable policy goal. But strategic clarity requires honest prioritisation, and on that measure, the current framing is incomplete.

What is required is a shift in policy framing: from fertilizer as a welfare expenditure to fertilizer raw materials as a strategic asset; from imported inputs as the default to domestic production as the long-term objective; from reactive subsidy management to proactive resource development.

Feeding the future of Malawi is a complex undertaking, but it is an achievable one. The minerals needed to begin are already in the ground. What remains is a decision by government, policymakers, and the private sector to work together so that Malawi can feed itself from its own natural resources.

Government’s deployment of Malawi Defence Force soldiers in small-scale mining areas in order to bring sanity in the activity has sparked debate with civil society organisations expressing concern over potential human rights violations while the miners are pleading for dialogue with the authorities.

Eye witnesses have confirmed incidents where by soldiers have destroyed buildings and detained artisanal and small-scale miners (ASMs) suspected of unlawful practices in mining hotspots in districts such as Mzimba and Kasungu.

The Ministry of Energy and Mining states in a Press Release that the Malawi Government has established a joint task force operation codenamed “Operation Samala Mgodi” which is aimed at strengthening enforcement mechanisms, curbing illegal mining, and preventing the smuggling of unprocessed stones across the country’s boarders.

The Press Release signed by Principal Secretary Emmanuel Matapa says this operation is meant to address the growing challenge of illegal mining in line with the Executive Order issued by the State President Arthur Peter Mutharika, which prohibits the export of all raw and unprocessed minerals.

The operation is being led by MDF with support from the Malawi Police Service, Immigration Department, National Intelligence Service, Malawi Prison Service and the Department of Mining in the Ministry.

“To empower communities in the targeted mining sites, the Government is establishing registered mining cooperatives to formalize ASMs. These cooperatives will provide a lawful channel for mining operations and enable the Government to purchase minerals for value addition, improved traceability, and enhanced revenue collection ensuring the sector contributes meaningfully to national development,” says Matapa.

But while welcoming Government’s initiative to curb illegal mining, Natural Resources Justice Network National Coordinator Kennedy Rashid Rashid in an interview suggests police officers, trained for law enforcement and judicial processes are more suitable for the operation than the military.

“It is likely that the involvement of soldiers is associated with human rights violations because the soldiers are not specifically trained for that role, which is of the MPS officers,” he says.

Landirani Banda, a victim, complains to Mining & Trade Review over the loss of K800,000 and personal belongings, including food and solar panels seized during the operation.

Federation of Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners in Malawi (FASMIM) President Percy Maleta bemoans the launch of the MDF headed operation saying Government needs to use contact and dialogue to bring sanity to the industry.

“Arresting artisanal miners contradicts the government's efforts to form ASM cooperatives."

He wonders why Government is arresting ASMs without licences when it suspended issuing of mining licences pending an audit of the cadastral portal.

"There is no licence for ASMs in the country, so who is an illegal miner?" Maleta questions.

In a Press Statement, Maleta says simply militarizing the fight against illegal mining risks pushing miners further into the shadows. Instead the federation is advocating for a strategy that focuses on formalizing the sector and empowering miners with access to licenses, finances and fair markets.

He says Government needs to deal with the root causes of illegal mining instead of using militarization observing that illegal mining and smuggling are symptoms of deeper structural challenges, including limited access to licensing, lack of financing, and inadequate market systems.

The federation has since called for dialogue between the government and ASMs in order to create inclusive platforms where all parties can sit at the table, engage constructively, and agree on practical and mutually beneficial solutions.  

“Restricting miners and traders from accessing export markets and earning a livelihood without providing viable and accessible alternatives, risks pushing them further into illegality,” states Maleta.

 The ASM sector is crucial to Malawi's economy, employing an estimated 40,000 and contributing to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) though it is dogged by a myriad of challenges including informal practices, poor health standards, and environmental concerns.

But Matapa maintains that Operation "Samala Mgodi" has clear objectives which include: combat illegal mining activities to identify, monitor and dismantle illegal mining operations across the country; protect the environment to prevent the degradation and pollution of rivers, land and other natural resources, resulting from unlawful mining practices; and to enforce environmental regulations to ensure strict compliance with environmental laws including the safe and regulated use of mercury and other hazardous substances in mining activities.

The other objectives include to safeguard national revenue to curb revenue losses by addressing unlicensed mining and the illegal export of raw and unprocessed minerals; promote local employment opportunities to encourage formalization and regulated mining activities that generate decent jobs and sustainable economic benefits for Malawian communities; and protect children from exploitation to eliminate child labour in mining and uphold the safety, rights and well-being of children.,

He says these objectives reflect the government's commitment to responsible mining that benefits Malawian communities while preserving the environment.

A Defining Moment for Malawi’s Mining Sector

The global transition toward renewable energy is reshaping demand for mineral resources in unprecedented ways. Critical minerals such as lithium, graphite, rare earth elements, and niobium are now central to the production of electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels. For Malawi, this transformation represents more than a market opportunity. As articulated in my previous two series, it is a defining moment that could reposition the country within global energy and industrial systems, and subsequently economic development in the long run.

Yet, history offers a cautionary tale. Resource-rich countries have often experienced extractive booms that generate wealth without development, leaving behind environmental degradation and socially fragmented communities. As Malawi’s mineral sector expands, the central question is no longer whether the country will participate in the energy transition, but whether it will do so on terms that are equitable, sustainable, and nationally beneficial.

An Emerging Critical Minerals Hub

Malawi is increasingly establishing itself as a significant player in the global supply of energy transition minerals. Projects such as the Kasiya rutile-graphite development (one of the largest of its kind globally) highlight the country’s strategic importance in supplying materials essential for battery technologies and solar applications. Similarly, rare earth projects at Kangankunde and Songwe Hill are expected to contribute key inputs for electric mobility and renewable energy systems, particularly in the production of permanent magnets used in wind turbines and electric vehicles. These two rare earth projects stand out as alternatives to the China’s dominance. Taking advantage of this to transform our economy is paramount if the resources are well managed. The question that I address in this third series is: Can Malawi move towards a critical minerals resources governance that positions the interests on its populace and economic development first? How does such a governance framework look like? It is a policy and its implementation that is a game charger for economic development. In this series I present a few alternatives to a meaningful mineral resource governance framework.

Why Policy—Not Just Minerals—Will Shape Economic Outcomes

While the scale of Malawi’s mineral endowment is significant, minerals alone do not guarantee development. The determining factor will be the strength and direction of mineral resources policy and most importantly, implementation. Without deliberate and forward-looking governance, Malawi risks reproducing familiar patterns of extractivism. The historical imperialists patterns of exporting raw materials with limited domestic value addition, experiencing environmental degradation, and marginalizing local communities from decision-making processes.

Conversely, effective policy can transform mineral wealth into a foundation for inclusive growth, industrial development, and environmental sustainability. The challenge, therefore, lies not in resource availability, but in the ability of institutions to govern these resources in ways that align national development priorities besides the global energy demands narratives.

Policy Contribution Pathways to a “Just” Energy Transition

For Malawi’s critical mineral wealth to contribute to the much-anticipated energy transition while prioritizing justice and equality of all humans, there is need for a deliberate reconfiguration of mineral governance, anchored in five key policy directions.

First, Malawi must move beyond raw mineral exports by prioritizing value addition and beneficiation in-country. With this point in mind, it should be acknowledged that mineral processing is an energy intensive venture. Therefore, availability of stable energy is key to this vision. But still processing minerals domestically, even if not at market-ready products but few steps in the value chain can never be overemphasized. It creates jobs, substantial revenue beyond mineral royalties and uplifts industrial development locally.  This approach also positions Malawi more competitively within global value chains that increasingly favour processed and semi-processed materials.

Second, mineral-host community participation must be institutionalized as a core component of mineral governance. Mining-affected communities should not be treated as passive stakeholders but as active participants in decision-making processes. This includes establishing clear benefit-sharing mechanisms, strengthening local consultation frameworks, Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) and ensuring that land-related rights are respected and protected. Inclusive governance is essential not only for social justice but also for maintaining the legitimacy and long-term viability of mining operations through social license to operate for exploration and mining companies.

Third, environmental governance must be strengthened to ensure that sustainability is more than a rhetorical commitment. Robust Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes, enforceable rehabilitation requirements, and the introduction of mine closure bonds are critical for mitigating long-term ecological damage. At the same time, Malawi should explore circular economy approaches, including the reuse of mine waste and tailings, to minimize environmental footprints while creating additional economic value. The time for setting these out in our governance framework is now.

Fourth, Malawi needs a comprehensive national critical minerals strategy. Such a strategy should identify priority minerals, define clear investment pathways, and align mining policy with broader energy and industrial development goals. By doing so, Malawi can position itself as a reliable and responsible supplier in an increasingly competitive global market for critical minerals.

Finally, transparency and accountability must be strengthened across the mining sector. This includes improving contract negotiation capacity, ensuring open access to mining agreements, and aligning with international transparency standards such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Strong governance institutions are essential for preventing revenue leakages and ensuring that mineral wealth translates into tangible development outcomes.

A Model Beyond Malawi

The policy choices Malawi makes today will have implications beyond its borders. Across Africa and the Global South, countries are grappling with the challenge of supplying critical minerals for global decarbonization while avoiding the socio-environmental costs traditionally associated with extractive industries.

If Malawi succeeds in aligning mineral development with principles of justice, sustainability, and inclusive governance, it could provide a compelling model for how resource-rich countries can participate in the energy transition without compromising local livelihoods or environmental integrity. In this sense, Malawi’s experience could contribute to a broader rethinking of how mineral resources are governed in the context of global climate action.

Conclusion: Defining the Terms of Transition

The energy transition is often framed as a technological shift, but it is equally a governance challenge. For Malawi, the opportunity lies not only in supplying the minerals that power renewable technologies, but in shaping the conditions under which those minerals are extracted, processed, and distributed. A just and sustainable future will depend on policies that place communities at the center, protect the environment, and ensure that mineral wealth contributes meaningfully to national development. If these conditions are met, Malawi can move beyond being a resource supplier to becoming a leader in responsible mineral governance in the era of global energy transition. We have the opportunity; the choice is ours.

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) operating in the mineral sector have asked Members of Parliament (MPs) to implement measures to ensure decentralization of the sector.

The CSOs engaged the parliamentary committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change (NRCC) on good governance in the sector.

Vice Chairperson for Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) Rev. Davidson Chifungo said the engagement with the committee was held understanding that the majority of the committee members are either newly elected members or those relocated from other committees.

Chifungo said the Committee plays an oversight role in the sector which should help to ensure that there is localization, accountability and justice in Malawi’s mining and energy sectors.

He said: “We wanted the committee to fully understand what localization is, as it means bringing control, decision making and benefits closer to local communities.

“They also have to understand that localization involves participation of local governments, traditional leaders, and citizens, as well as promoting ownership, inclusion, and fair benefit sharing.”

Chifungo stressed the need for decentralization saying it strengthens accountability and transparency within the sector.

He said decentralization improves service delivery and local oversight; creates opportunities for community empowerment, and encourages ethical management of resources.

Chifungo said: “Currently we have challenges in our mineral sector including; centralized control often limiting local benefits; mining and energy wealth not equitably distributed; weak local capacity and limited transparency and; environmental and social impacts on local communities.”

“As a faith-based organization, we believe parliament is the guardian of Malawi’s mineral wealth which should help to ensure laws are followed, revenues are transparent, communities are benefiting and the environment is protected.”

MEAL Officer for Natural Resources Justice Network (NRJN) Biswas Ishmael concurred with Chifungo on the major oversight role played by parliament in asserting the system of checks and balances on the executive branch of government and as the defender of citizens’ interests.

Ishmael equipped the committee on Political Economy Analysis (PEA) of the mining sector for them to understand how power, incentives, and institutions shape the governance and economic outcomes of mining.

He said PEA goes beyond technical feasibility to analyse how government, companies, and local communities interact to distribute the costs and benefits of extraction.

Ishmael said: “The PEA of the mining sector is currently facing governance and institutional vulnerabilities including incentive problems whereby institutions governing mining often face conflicts of interest, and the lack of accountability or weak institutional capacity can lead to poor policy implementation.”

“PEA has also vulnerability whereby international mining companies often hold significant political power and influence over governments, particularly when governments are eager for investment.”

“Despite bearing the brunt of negative environmental and social impacts, local communities frequently have minimal, non-transparent roles in decision-making and limited access to information regarding mining policies.”

Committee Chairperson Tiaone Hendry hailed the meeting saying some of the issues brought before them were new to the members.

Hendry assured the CSOs to engage the Ministry of Energy and Mining and also consider visiting some mining sites as part of their oversight role to bring sanity in the sector.

“They have shared with us some of the information that is new to us and we have asked them to write to us formally because as a committee we will act based on formal letters.”

“We have to do checks and balances based on the formal communication.  We plan to visit illegal mining sites and other mining companies to appreciate the situation and also want to take into account the Ministry of Energy and Mining so that they scale up security for our minerals.”

“Some of the issues that they have discussed with us are to do with registration and vulnerability especially on how the local communities are not benefiting from the mining sector.”

Hendry urged the CSOs to continue engaging the committee saying it is unfortunate that most of the information on the country’s mineral sector comes from foreign investors.

Sovereign Services has announced that its second year of rehabilitation trials being undertaken in support of the Kasiya Rutile-Graphite Project in Lilongwe is nearing completion during the upcoming harvest season.

The pilot mining, backfilling, and rehabilitation program is a key workstream and input into the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS), which is being completed under the oversight of the Sovereign and its partnership with global mining giant Rio Tinto.

CEO and MD for Sovereign Services Frank Eagar explains that the rehabilitation trials provide practical, multi-year evidence of Sovereign’s alignment with international rehabilitation, environmental, and community good-practice standards.

Eagar says empirical data from the trials has been used to prepare the Mine Closure and Mine Rehabilitation Plans, which are now integrated into the mining, backfilling and post-mining closure planning – critical components for project bankability and alignment with the standards required by development finance institutions.

The rehabilitation trials demonstrate that all mined out pits can practically be backfilled and rehabilitated in a manner that allows farming to be reinstated quickly. This critical outcome proves that Sovereign can undertake mining while ensuring that all pits are safely closed and thereafter can support a sustainable post-closure land-use.

Eagar reports that the rehabilitation trials have also contributed to a significant community development outcome. After two years of close collaboration, the 28 local farmers involved in the trials have formally requested that Sovereign remains at the trial site and support them in establishing a farmer-based commercial farming co-operative. This represents a strong endorsement of the program’s value and is a central pillar of Kasiya’s social development strategy, demonstrating that the Project can deliver lasting economic benefits to local communities well beyond the mine life.

The outcomes directly complement the recently announced collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, which is supporting integration of IFC Performance Standards into the Project’s DFS and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), and strengthening Kasiya’s pathway to bankable development and international project financing.

Eagar says: ““Sovereign’s primary objective is to deliver sustainable returns for all stakeholders, including shareholders and local communities. Not only will the overwhelming success and empirical data collected through this pilot mining and rehabilitation trial underpin the DFS accuracy, but it also demonstrates that land post mining can be successfully rehabilitated and our ability to improve agricultural productivity. The five-fold increase in maize yields will enable unprecedented and immediate secondary economic benefits. The emerging co-operative model is a practical example of our commitment in action – transforming mined land into more productive farmland while equipping local communities with the skills and infrastructure to thrive independently.”

Proven rehabilitation results

The second year of trials builds on the success of the first year, which delivered maize yields of 5.2 tonnes per hectare versus the regional average of 1 tonne per hectare – a fivefold increase that confirmed post-mining land can achieve superior agricultural productivity compared to pre-mining land.

Eagar explains that Sovereign’s rehabilitation approach is designed to use locally sourced agricultural inputs while maximising long term agricultural sustainability. Lime, fertilizer and biochar were applied during the first year of rehabilitation, with only targeted supplementation in the second year where specific deficiencies in basic nutrients were identified.

All rehabilitation activities were conducted under a no-tillage, minimal soil disturbance principle. No heavy machinery is permitted after final land-forming is done as part of backfilling. Thereafter, all soil remediation activities were undertaken by hand to preserve soil structure and the effectiveness of applied ameliorants. This simple, replicable approach is specifically designed to be adopted and maintained by local farming communities beyond mine closure.

Diversified Cropping System

The second year of trials has expanded the rehabilitation approach into a inter-cropping system, combining Maize with Giant Bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper). The first-year results confirmed that bamboo and maize co-exist with minimal competition, functioning in a symbiotic manner that supports long-term land productivity. Through the intercropping approach, local farmers were able to exceed their usual crop yields, while, in parallel, the Bamboo has been allowed to mature as a long-term carbon and soil remediation solution.

Sovereign also expanded the range of crops grown at the rehabilitation site, including the introduction of drip-irrigation winter crop farming program. The multi-cropping approach provides participating communities with a wider range of food, cash and fodder crops – supporting year-round agricultural viability and the transformation from subsistence to commercial farming on rehabilitated land.

Second-year crop yields are expected to reach, and potentially exceed, the first-year benchmark of 5.2 tonnes per hectare when harvested in mid-2026.

Community Partnership

Farmer engagement and participation are central to the long-term success of Kasiya’s rehabilitation strategy. The rehabilitation approach uses simple agronomic methods carried out largely by hand, ensuring that local communities can sustain and build on the improved farming practices beyond mine closure.

“Sovereign has worked closely with local farmers over the past two years, who have been integral to the success of the rehabilitation program. This deepening partnership has resulted in participating farmers formally requesting that Sovereign remains involved at the trial site and provide support in establishing a farming co-operative – a strong endorsement of the program’s value to the local communities. The development of community-led farming co-operatives forms a central pillar of Sovereign’s post-closure social transition strategy. The Company plans to continue working with local farmers throughout 2026, with a view to establishing a replicable model that can be scaled across the broader Kasiya project area as mining progresses,” says Eagar.