Mmegi

World’s biggest miner wants slice of Kalahari Copperbelt

Rich soils: 
Boseto Mine closed several years ago, weighed down by high operating costs which included diesel powered electricity. Now new developers on the Kalahari Copperbelt have access to the grid network, enhanced technology and escalating commodity prices
Rich soils: Boseto Mine closed several years ago, weighed down by high operating costs which included diesel powered electricity. Now new developers on the Kalahari Copperbelt have access to the grid network, enhanced technology and escalating commodity prices

BHP, the world’s largest mining group, plans to invest up to $25 million (P341 million) to earn a 75% interest in an upcoming project on the Kalahari Copperbelt, as the global race for the key mineral heats up.

Under the terms of the deal, as published on the Australian Securities Exchange last week, BHP has committed to financing Cobre Limited for exploration expenditure at the Kitlanya Projects, located in both the north and south of the Copperbelt.

Running southwest to northeast, the 1,000-kilometre Kalahari Copperbelt is known to contain healthy amounts of copper, silver, lead, and the critical minerals sought after globally for their importance in the green energy transition. Several companies are rapidly advancing projects on the copperbelt, which in 2024 hosted the country’s largest ever private sector acquisition when a Chinese group snapped up Khoemacau Copper Mine in a $1.2 billion deal.

Editor's Comment
Micro-procurement maze demands urgent reform

Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...

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