Exploration
Southern Africa
Mkango feasibility funded
Location: Malawi
Resources:
Rare earth elements
Technology-focused company Talaxis has invested GBP7-million
in Lancaster Exploration, the company who holds the exploration
license at the Songwe Hill rare earths project in Malawi. This
investment will increase Talaxis’ equity interest in Lancaster from
20% to 49%. Canadian company Mkango Resources is the majority
shareholder at Songwe Hill (51%).
The investment by Talaxis will fund completion of the feasibility
study for Songwe, which is currently under way and expected to be
completed in 2020. The updated resource in the technical report
will form the basis for the feasibility study. Following completion of
the feasibility study, Talaxis has an option to acquire a further 26%
interest in Songwe by arranging financing for project development,
including funding the equity component thereof.
According to William Dawes, CEO at Mkango, the company
is uniquely positioned in the rare earths sector. “Mkango has an
advanced-stage rare earths project in a favourable jurisdiction and
a strong strategic partnership with Talaxis, providing the financial
means and network of relationships throughout Asia and elsewhere
to deliver a successful project,” says Dawes.
Daniel Mamadou, director of Talaxis and co-head of Technology
Metals at the Noble Group, says rare earths play a core role in the
company’s portfolio of technology metals. “High-performance
electric motors and permanent magnet applications drive the
demand for neodymium and praseodymium, making these
elements key enablers of electric vehicle policies globally.
West Africa
Hummingbird looks for more potential
Location: Mali
Resources: Gold
London-listed Hummingbird Resources has completed a third
set of exploration drilling at the Yanfolila gold mine in Mali.
The focus of the drilling programme was to convert resources to
reserves and to possibly extend the life of mine.
The drilling campaign focused largely on resource definition
at the Gonka deposit, with further follow-up drilling at
Komana West. According to Murray Paterson, chief geologist
at Hummingbird, the latest results demonstrate more high-
grade potential and continued exploration potential at depth.
Late last year, Hummingbird announced a set of high-grade
results, including an intercept of 15m at 16.03 grams per
tonne (g/t).
4 AFRICAN MINING MAY - JUNE 2019
Mkango’s exploration camp at Songwe Hill.
“The results of the drill campaign at Songwe are encouraging and
point towards the potential of creating a world-class asset. We
are pleased to extend our strategic partnership with Mkango and
to increase our investment in Songwe, which is one of the few
advanced-stage rare earths projects currently. We look forward to
collaborating with Mkango to ensure this project is developed to its
full potential,” says Mamadou.
Songwe Hill features carbonatite-hosted rare earth mineralisation
and was subject to previous exploration in the late 1980s. Mkango
completed an updated pre-feasibility study for the project in
November 2015, and a feasibility study is currently under way, the
initial phases of which included a 10 900m drilling programme and
updated mineral resource estimate.
The main exploration targets in Mkango’s remaining two 100%
held licences are, in the Thambani licence, uranium, niobium,
tantalum, and zircon and, in the Chimimbe Hill licence, nickel
and cobalt. b
The Gonka deposit is 5km from the processing plant, making it
suitable to be included in the current mine plan. The deposit is
fully permitted and within the mining license, which will allow
mining to start immediately, once the resource modelling and
mine planning are completed.
“Following the conclusion of the drilling programme at Gonka,
we have moved to the resource modelling phase as we look to
publish a new and updated mineral resource for Gonka and the
open pitable reserves. After this is completed, the company plans
to release a new life of mine plan at Yanfolila,” explains Paterson.
“Our exploration team is reviewing the Gonka drilling data and is
planning ahead for the coming 2019 drilling programme, which will
target the down dip extensions to Gonka to expand the resource
and reserves. A thorough review of the database to identify new
greenfield targets is also under way and this is expected to yield high-
priority targets to drill test outside the current seven deposits that
have resources associated with them,” says Paterson. b
www.africanmining.co.za