
Botswana’s government announced a feasibility study to assess a copper refinery linked to MMG’s Khoemacau expansion. The mine has already shipped about 587,000 tonnes of copper concentrate, containing roughly 177,000 tonnes of copper, and aims to boost concentrate output to 146,000 tonnes annually. The study will evaluate scale, infrastructure, energy, logistics and market demand, determining whether the country can meet the 300‑500k tonne threshold needed for a viable refinery. Success would shift Botswana from raw concentrate exports to refined copper production, adding higher‑value jobs and diversifying its economy.

Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has poured roughly $600 million into its Zambian operations since Vedanta Resources returned, prioritising underground development, infrastructure rehabilitation and AI‑driven safety systems. The capital injection has created more than 2,000 jobs, expanding the workforce to over 14,000...

Zambia’s cabinet approved two cross‑border pipelines—the Tanzania‑Zambia Multi‑Products Pipeline and the Namibia‑Zambia Refined Petroleum and Natural Gas Pipeline—to diversify fuel imports and reduce reliance on the decades‑old TAZAMA line. The projects aim to create supply redundancy, improve pricing competitiveness, and...

Rwanda’s mining authority has opened a second tranche of ten exploration blocks covering tin, tantalum, tungsten, lithium, beryllium and gemstones. The government expects more than 70 applications, aiming to double the interest seen in the 2025 round. Investors must register...

The Democratic Republic of the Congo announced strict cobalt export quotas—18,125 tonnes for Q4 2025 and 96,600 tonnes for 2026—while reserving 10% of production as a strategic stockpile. The policy, aimed at curbing smuggling, stabilising prices and capturing more domestic value,...

Serval Resources has launched its 2026 exploration programme on two licences owned by Kalahari Copper Limited (KCL) in Botswana’s Kalahari Copper Belt, following a conditional agreement to acquire KCL. The first activity is a ground magnetic survey on licence PL061,...

SACIM completed its first public auction of industrial diamonds in Antwerp, selling 288,000 carats between 16‑20 February 2026. The sale involved 67 international buyers from China, India, the United States and Italy, marking the return of Congolese diamonds to the...

China’s lithium carbonate futures surged after Zimbabwe suspended all raw mineral and lithium concentrate exports. The Guangzhou Futures Exchange contract jumped 6.07% to 178,020 yuan, having peaked above 9% earlier in the session. Zimbabwe, the continent’s top lithium producer, shipped...

Ghana announced an artisanal and small‑scale mining (ASM) gold formalisation programme that will channel roughly 127 metric tons of gold per year into official trade. The Ghana Gold Board, via the newly created GoldBod, will purchase a minimum of 2.45 tons weekly,...

President Félix Tshisekedi announced a comprehensive reform of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's gold sector, targeting the massive revenue loss from smuggling and informal trade. The plan, presented at a Council of Ministers meeting on 20 February 2026, seeks...

Zambia and France have agreed to deepen cooperation in the mining sector, focusing on sustainable development and transparency. The French delegation, led by Thomas Rossignol, pledged technical support to strengthen Zambia’s Minerals Regulation Commission, including modern monitoring and enforcement technologies. The...

Stanford geoscience professor Jef Caers announced that artificial‑intelligence‑driven "intelligent agents" could slash mineral‑exploration drilling by up to five‑fold. The system plans sequential drilling to test and falsify human geological hypotheses, targeting uncertainty reduction rather than exhaustive grid sampling. By focusing...

On February 24, a collapse at an artisanal mine on the outskirts of Kolwezi in Lualaba Province killed several Algerian workers, prompting Prime Minister Judith Suminwa to condemn the tragedy and pledge stronger safety oversight. She cited a December 2025 ministerial report...

At Mining Indaba 2026 in Cape Town, Lualaba province positioned itself as the world’s leading cobalt producer, emphasizing its pivotal role in the energy transition. Governor Fifi Masuka Saini highlighted the region’s stable, investment‑friendly governance and alignment with international mining...

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s mineral export prices are set to fall in the week of Feb 23‑28, 2026, with tin posting the steepest decline to $48,089 per ton, a $1,667 drop from the prior week. Copper, gold, and zinc also...