Rare Earth Exploration in Africa: What Project Owners Need to Prove
Africa’s rare earth element (REE) projects are drawing closer attention as manufacturers, governments, and investors look for supply outside China. The opportunity is real, but geology alone won’t move a project into production. REE projects need reliable exploration data, mineralogical testing, processing routes, environmental work, and resource reporting that investors can review.
That makes African REE development a technical challenge as much as a supply-chain one. Project owners need to prove what the deposit contains, how the minerals are hosted, how they can be processed, and whether the project can meet the reporting standards expected by funders, offtakers, and regulators.
Key Takeaways
- China remains the main force in processed rare earths and rare earth magnets.
- Export controls have raised supply-chain concerns for manufacturers and governments.
- African projects in Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Angola are attracting more attention.
- REE deposits need more than grade. Mineralogy, processing response, impurities, and reporting quality shape project value.
- JORC, NI 43-101, and SAMREC-aligned work can help project owners build investor confidence.
Why Rare Earth Supply Chains are Under Pressure
REEs are a group of 17 elements used in permanent magnets, electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics, medical equipment, aerospace systems, and other high-specification technologies. The most commercially watched group is often magnet rare earths: neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium.
Supply-chain concentration is the main concern. The IEA reports that China accounted for 60% of global mined magnet rare earths in 2024. Reuters reports that China produces over 90% of the world’s processed rare earths and rare earth magnets.
Export controls have made that concentration more visible. In 2025, China added controls on rare earth elements and related products in April, then expanded the list in October. The October rules brought the number of restricted rare earth elements to 12 out of the 17 that exist. Those rules don’t stop all trade, but they can delay licensing, raise procurement risk, and push manufacturers to look for supply outside China.
Demand is still growing with the demand for magnet rare earths doubling since 2015 and is set to rise by about one-third by 2030 under today’s policy settings. S&P Global, citing McKinsey, reported that magnetic rare earth demand could triple from 59,000 tonnes in 2022 to 186,000 tonnes by 2035.
Where Africa Fits into the REE Pipeline
Africa has several REE projects that are moving beyond early market interest. The European Commission selected Songwe Hill in Malawi and Zandkopsdrift in South Africa as strategic projects under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. That matters, since it shows that African REE projects are being assessed as part of wider supply-chain planning.
Malawi has two of the most watched projects. Mkango Resources announced updated feasibility study results for Songwe Hill and a pre-feasibility study for a proposed rare earth separation plant in Poland. Lindian Resources says its Kangankunde project is fully permitted, fully funded, under construction, and moving toward first production in Q4 2026.
Namibia’s Lofdal Heavy Rare Earth Project is focused on dysprosium, terbium, and yttrium, with backing from JOGMEC and Toyota Tsusho. Those elements matter for high-performance permanent magnets, which are used where heat resistance and magnetic strength affect performance.
Africa’s position is promising, but project owners still need to convert market attention into technical proof.
What African REE Projects Need to Prove
REE projects can be harder to assess than many bulk or base-metal deposits. A headline grade doesn’t tell the full story. Investors and technical reviewers will want to know which rare earths are present, how they are distributed, and whether the ore can be processed into a saleable product.
A credible REE work program should test:
- Mineralogy: Which REE-bearing minerals host the value, and how are they locked in the ore?
- Element mix: Does the project contain magnet rare earths, heavy rare earths, or lower-value elements?
- Impurities: Are uranium, thorium, fluorine, or other penalty elements present?
- Metallurgy: Can beneficiation, leaching, and separation produce a saleable concentrate or carbonate?
- Data quality: Are drilling, sampling, density, QA/QC, and lab methods fit for resource reporting?
- Infrastructure: Does the project have realistic access to power, water, transport, reagents, and skills?
- Environmental baseline: What are the water, radiation, residue, waste, and closure risks?
This is where early mineral exploration and early resource modelling need to work together. A project that waits too long to test mineralogy or processing response can lose time when the first resource estimate or feasibility study is reviewed.
Reporting Standards Turn Geology into Investor Evidence
A resource estimate can help project owners move from exploration results to a reviewable technical case. For African REE projects, reporting under the JORC Code, NI 43-101, or SAMREC can give funders and project partners a clearer basis for review.
Minrom’s mining geology services cover mineral resource and reserve estimates, resource statements, and reporting under JORC and NI 43-101. For REE projects, that reporting work needs to connect with mineralogical and metallurgical data. A model that estimates tonnes and grade without enough processing context may leave investors with unanswered questions.
The same applies to project strategy. Minrom’s strategy services connect geological and metallurgical ore characteristics with mine planning and environmental drivers. That link is useful for REE projects, where processing choices can affect cost, permitting, water use, waste handling, and product pricing.
How Minrom Supports African REE Projects
MINROM has worked on REE projects across Africa, from early-stage exploration to concept development. That experience matters since REE deposits vary widely by host rock, mineralogy, element mix, and processing response.
MINROM can support African REE projects with exploration planning, geological interpretation, resource modelling, technical reporting, and early project assessment. The aim is to help project owners build a stronger technical case before major funding, offtake, or feasibility decisions.
Contact MINROM to discuss an African REE project, resource model, reporting pathway, or technical review.
MINROM supports African REE projects through exploration planning, geological interpretation, resource modelling, technical reporting, and early project review.
Contact MINROM to discuss your REE project, resource model, reporting pathway, or technical assessment.