World Bank warns Malawi’s mining potential hinges on solving electricity crisis

Malawi’s drive to build a mining industry around critical minerals is being held back by a chronic electricity shortage, according to a new World Bank report that warns the country’s mineral wealth could remain largely untapped without urgent power sector reform. The report, titled “From Potential to Prosperity: A Roadmap for Malawi’s Energy Transition Minerals”, […]

Lindian Resources moves to upgrade licence as Malawi tightens mineral export rules

Malawi’s mining minister has reaffirmed that companies operating in the country will not be permitted to export unprocessed minerals, as the government seeks to capture more value from its nascent extractives sector rather than shipping raw material abroad for processing elsewhere. Speaking during a visit to the Kangankunde Rare Earth Project in Balaka on Wednesday, […]

‘We are not here to scare investors’: Govt clears Australian mining firm Lindian and warns against illegal mine suspensions

Australian firm Lindian Resources, which operates the Kangankunde rare earths mine in Balaka, has been cleared of any wrongdoing by Mining Minister Thoko Tembo during a parliamentary debate on Friday, in a significant boost for the controversial project. The clearance came as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Charles Mhango mounted a robust defence of […]

Lindian Resources on track for Q4 rare earth production start in Malawi

Lindian Resources Limited, the Australian-listed miner developing the Kangankunde Rare Earth Project in Malawi’s Balaka district, remains on track with its production timeline following the successful completion of its first blasting operations, according to a senior mining sector official. Grain Malunga, national coordinator at the Chamber of Mines and Energy, said the project’s progress was […]

Investigation ties ex-MMRA chief Sakhuta to campaign against Lindian Resources

An investigation has connected Samuel Sakhuta, the former director general of the Mining and Minerals Regulatory Authority (MMRA), to a campaign of negative coverage aimed at Lindian Resources, the company developing Malawi’s Kangankunde rare earths project. According to private investigators who spoke to Nyasa Times, Sakhuta — who was removed from his MMRA post — […]

Editorial Comment: A rare earth milestone Malawi must not squander

The commencement of mining at Lindian Resources’ Kangankunde project is a moment worth celebrating — and one Malawians should watch closely as it unfolds. For a nation more accustomed to being a footnote in global commodity conversations, Kangankunde offers something different: a seat, however modest, at the table of a mineral race that is reshaping […]

No irregularities found at Lindian’s Malawi rare earths project

A smear campaign targeting Lindian Resources, developer of Malawi’s Kangankunde rare earths project, is being dismissed as such, with officials saying there is no evidence of irregular dealings with the Mining and Minerals Regulatory Authority. The company has broken no law, they told Nyasa Times, rejecting claims of backroom arrangements with the regulator. The pushback […]

Lindian fires first blast at Malawi rare earths mine

Lindian Resources has detonated its first production blast at the Kangankunde rare earths project in Malawi, formally crossing the threshold from developer to active miner and setting the clock ticking towards a December quarter first output target. The blast — drilled and fired across 206 holes — fragmented 13,100 tonnes of material, including an estimated […]

Court rules in favour of Rift Valley on Kangankude Hill mining: Dismisses Lindian Resources Ltd

Commercial Division of the High Court in Lilongwe has refused to award Lindian Resources Limited a refund of USD100, 000 [approximately K750 million] plus interest at 10 per cent and general damages the firm claimed to have suffered through a botched mining project agreement in 2018. The firm commenced a court action against Rift Valley […]