The Kanyika mine is an

open pit mine Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the earth from an open-air pit, sometimes known as a borrow. This form of mining ...

which extracts

niobium Niobium is a chemical element with chemical symbol Nb (formerly columbium, Cb) and atomic number 41. It is a light grey, crystalline, and ductile transition metal. Pure niobium has a Mohs hardness rating similar to pure titanium, and it has sim ...

ore from a large deposit located in northern Malawi in the Northern Region, about 250 kilometers north of

Lilongwe Lilongwe (, , ) is the capital and most populated city of the African country of Malawi. It has a population of 989,318 as of the 2018 Census, up from a population of 674,448 in 2008. In 2020 that figure was 1,122,000. The city is located in th ...

. It will be the second-largest mining operation in the country, behind the

Kayelekera mine Kayelekera uranium mine is an open cast uranium mine 52 kilometers west of the regional administrative and commercial centre Karonga in Malawi, Africa and was the country's largest mine. Production at the mine has been paused since February 2014, ...

. Kanyika represents one of the largest niobium mineral resource in

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

having estimated resources of 60 million tonnes of ore grading 0.29% niobium metal. The mine is the main project of the Australia-based ''Globe Metals & Mining Ltd.''

History

Prospecting began in 2006, when Globe Metals received an Exclusive Prospecting License from the Malawian government. The project was initially planned to be developed as a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

between globe and the South Africa based engineering firm ''Thuthuka Group''. In 2011, Globe Metals was joined by the

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

based

state owned enterprise A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the government ...

''East China Mineral Exploration and Development Bureau'', which acquired a 51% stake in Globe Metals based on a $47 million investment. In 2012, the

China Development Bank The China Development Bank (CDB) () is a development bank in the People's Republic of China (PRC), led by a cabinet minister at the Governor level, under the direct jurisdiction of the State Council. As one of three policy banks in China, it ...

issued a letter of intent stating that it would finance the kanyika mine. Bulk sampling was completed by early 2014, and 40 tons of crushed samples were sent to the ''Guangzhou Research Institute for Non-Ferrous Metals'', where a pilot plant was constructed. As of 2021, the company obtained a license from the Malawian government to conduct large-scale mining. The raw ore is intended to be processed in an associated refinery which is to be built. After processing, the final form of the niobium will consist mostly of

ferroniobium Ferroniobium is an important iron-niobium alloy, with a niobium content of 60-70%. It is the main source for niobium alloying of HSLA steel and covers more than 80% of the worldwide niobium production. The niobium is mined from pyrochlore deposits a ...

Environmental and social impacts

Globe Metals ordered an

environmental impact assessment Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) is the assessment of the environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the term "environmental imp ...

which was conducted between October 2009 and November 2011 by the South Africa based ''Synergistics Environmental Services'' (Pty limited) and was released in July 2012. The assessment raised concerns that water drawn from

borehole A borehole is a narrow shaft bored in the ground, either vertically or horizontally. A borehole may be constructed for many different purposes, including the extraction of water ( drilled water well and tube well), other liquids (such as petro ...

wells in the area contained levels of uranium already above the World Health Organization's recommendations. Civil society groups such as the ''Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace'' and

ActionAid ActionAid is an international non-governmental organization whose stated primary aim is to work against poverty and injustice worldwide. ActionAid is a federation of 45 country offices that works with communities, often via local partner organis ...

have pushed for residents who will be displaced by the mine to receive adequate consultation and compensation. Inkosi Mabilabo Jere, a Senior Chief of

Mzimba Mzimba is a town in the Mzimba District of Malawi. The district is inhabited by descendants of Tumbuka and few Ngoni people. The district of Mzimba has a number of Traditional Authorities from the Ngoni people. The head of these Traditional A ...

, as well as

John Alphonsus Ryan Bishop John Alphonsus Ryan S.P.S. (b. 27 February 1952), is an Irish Catholic bishop and academic, who is the current Bishop of Mzuzu in Malawi. Ryan was born in Holy Cross, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. He joined the Saint Patrick’s Society for t ...

, Bishop of Mzuzu have both been critical of the government's lack of compensation for the affected locals. Globe Metals and Mining's executive director, Neville Haxham, has said that the project will create over 1,200 jobs and improve the economic standing of the local population. In August of 2017, a lawsuit was filed in the regional capital of

Mzuzu Mzuzu is the capital of Malawi's Northern Region and is the third largest city by population in Malawi. The city has 221,272 residents and 20,000 commuters (Mzuzu University students) with about 1.7 million people in its metropolitan area. It i ...

on behalf of 243 households who claimed that they had not been adequately compensated since they were displaced by the mine. A key issue brought up at a mediation hearing in 2018 was households whose land had been disturbed during the exploration phase of the mine.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanyika Mine Niobium mines in Malawi