US$300m Mining Investment Exploration in Phalombe
“This is exciting news for Malawi”
Buoyant Malawi Vice President Saulos chilima Chilima says the prospect of mining rare earth at Songwe Hills in Phalombe is a game changer for Malawi’s economic transformation.
Chilima was speaking Wednesday when he visited the site just days after the investor Mkango Resources Limited announced the prospects of finding total rare earth oxides.
As Chilima wrote later on his Facebook page this means there is a positive impact on hydrometallurgical processing at the mining site.
“This is exciting news for the country. We are in for a big thing within the next two years with an investment of US$300 million US dollars to start the exploration.
“There is also a readily available market for the rare earth across Europe and Asia. Like His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic, said recently Mining is the next economic pillar for this country,” he said.
The Vice President, known as a workaholic since his days in the private sector, further said in his meeting with Phalombe District Council he emphasised that they should be in a state of preparedness to ensure that they are the first to respond to the economic transformation that the Mine will bring to the district.
“This is the time to think of tourism and other related chain economic opportunities. We will ensure that we see through this project because, like I have said, this rare earth mining could be the economic break through for Malawi,” said said.
Last Sunday President Lazarus Chakwera unleashed the Tonse Alliance administration dream of making Mining the next big thing for Malawi in the facing of the fading demand for tobacco hitherto Malawi’s green gold.
Nzeru za DPP izi
I’m happily sad with the development. Happy that we have found such treasure in our soil. Sad that we may give give such treasure to mzungu and give away prices if “there is a market for rare earth’s” is anything to go by. What is rare Earth used for? Let us process that in Malawi and the statement should change to “there is a ready market for rare earth products”, be it phone LCDs, semiconductors (as we hear it) etcetera. Let us produce and export finished products, please mabwana awirinu. Let’s be a producing country at all cost
This is a step in the right direction. We have a future to make for generations to come so that our children go not to curse at our tombs. We must also prevent foreigners especially the developed world from exploiting us. This must profit Malawians and help us develop our public infrastructure and people’s welfare. Bravo bwana Veep!
This is a very exciting development for Malawi as country. Kudos to the leadership of my visionary President and his Vice. However, I would like to ask Government to closely monitor the exploration activities of some of the mining companies. I wonder how on earth should exploration take years on end? 15 years still exploring? Meanwhile, tons and tons of soil samples are getting shipped out of the country every year. Are we sure that what is getting shipped out are really samples???
But this thing has been taking very long. Malawians deserve to know when it will start. How much reserves are available etc