Name of the Project
Kanyika niobium project.

Location
About 55 km north-east of the regional centre of Kasangu, in central Malawi.

Project Owner/s
Globe Metals & Mining.

Project Description
Kanyika is positioned to be the first ever niobium mine in Africa.

The project will be developed in two phases to allow for an efficient, lower-risk path to first production while enabling the market to absorb early volumes and support future expansion.

The first phase is designed to deliver about one-third of the company’s full-scale processing capacity, supported by a solar–diesel hybrid power-purchase agreement solution. 

Phase two aims to scale the operation to production of 3 000 t to 3 300 t of niobium pentoxide and 150 t to 160 t of tantalum pentoxide a year.

The products will be high-specification and -purity products with grades of more than 99.5% and 99% respectively.

Globe will develop the Kanyika project as a conventional openpit operation with a low strip ratio. Ore will be mined and crushed on site to a suitable size for processing, eliminating the need to transport run-of-mine material off site and ensuring value addition starts at the mine.

Ore mining is designed at 1.5-million tonnes a year, with an average strip ratio of 1.5:1, balancing ore exposure and waste removal.

Crushed ore will be processed through an on-site beneficiation circuit using established physical separation techniques to concentrate the niobium and tantalum minerals. This removes most waste material on site, significantly reducing mass before further processing. The upgraded concentrate will then be treated in an on-site hydrometallurgical plant using proven, industry-standard technology to produce saleable niobium oxide and tantalum oxide. 

Final products will be packaged on site and containerised for transport. 

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has a forecast pretax  internal rate of return of 35% and a net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $878-million, based on September 2024 figures, with a payback of 6.6 years.

Capital Expenditure
Phase 1 capital is estimated at $46-million and includes the mine, concentrator and refinery development.

Phase 2 is estimated at $250-million.

Planned Start/End Date
First production of saleable oxide from Phase 1 is planned for January 2028. Phase 2 is planned for April 2029.

Latest Developments
The updated bankable feasibility study (BFS) is on track for completion by March 31, 2026, laying the technical and economic groundwork for a final investment decision (FID), funding, offtake agreements and the mobilisation of construction.

This year, Globe expects Kanyika to evolve from a fully permitted plan into a construction-ready, internationally strategic critical-minerals asset.

The FID will follow the completion of the BFS and alignment of funding and offtake structures.

Globe has engaged in early-contractor interaction with several mining and construction groups.

These discussions support scope definition, cost benchmarking, final layout development, long-lead procurement scheduling and early mobilisation planning, it has said.

Once financing is secured, the company plans to progress immediately to front-end engineering design and construction.

Globe has highlighted technical progress on the BFS, noting that its power strategy has been refined to focus on a 33 kV Chinyama grid connection, supported by optional independent power producer hybrid generation. All engineering disciplines are aligned with the scheduled BFS completion by March 31, 2026.

The company has also highlighted continuing constructive community engagement, with the Kanyika liaison committee endorsing a phased relocation strategy aligned with the company’s development timeline.  Phase 1, representing about 20% of affected households, is planned for quarter two of 2026.

Globe is finalising drone surveys, household assessments, compensation models, grievance procedures and community consultation processes.

The company has further reported that governmental engagement in Malawi has strengthened, with newly formed relationships engendering confidence in the project’s long-term stability and the company’s capability to meet the substantial works milestone on September 27, 2026.

Communications and investor engagement efforts have also gained momentum.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Globe Metals & Mining, tel +61 8 6118 7240 or email info@globemm.com.