Critical Minerals in East Africa: Opportunities

Critical minerals in East Africa are drawing fresh attention from investors, governments and manufacturers. These are the metals and industrial minerals, such as rare earths, graphite, nickel, cobalt, lithium and helium, that are essential for batteries, wind turbines, electronics and defence, and whose supply is concentrated in a few countries. East Africa has a spread of deposits across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia. This article looks at the main opportunities, the policy shift toward value addition, and the risks that readers should weigh.

What Makes a Mineral “Critical”?

A mineral is called critical when it is economically important and its supply is at risk, for example because processing is dominated by one country, or because there are few substitutes. Each country draws up its own list, so a mineral that is critical in the United States may not be on Kenya’s list.

For Africa, the opportunity is twofold: supplying raw materials to a fast-growing global market, and, increasingly, capturing more value by processing at home. The second is harder than the first.

Kenya: Lists, Counties and a Value-Addition Push

Kenya’s Strategic Minerals regulations of 2017 list cobalt, graphite, copper, tantalum, lithium, niobium, coltan, nickel, tin, uranium, thorium, rare earths and chromite. The ministry has also highlighted nine key critical minerals: copper, coltan, rare earths, niobium, graphite, lithium, chromium, nickel and uranium. They are linked to 15 priority counties, including Kitui, Tana River, Kilifi, Isiolo, Taita Taveta, Kwale, Turkana, Samburu and Kericho.

A preliminary national airborne geophysical survey reported around 970 mineral occurrences, including copper, graphite, manganese, iron ore, coltan, thorium, nickel, cobalt and rare earths. That is a map of leads, not proven reserves.

The flagship case is Mrima Hill in Kwale, a carbonatite hosting niobium and rare earths, where a 2026 tender is under way and a court challenge is pending. Its reported resource figures are large but unverified, and the rare earth royalty is reported at 8 percent. Kenya has said it wants more local processing rather than raw exports.

The economic context is sobering. Mining is about 0.8 percent of GDP, against a target of 10 percent by 2030. The Economic Survey 2026 reported that mining and quarrying grew by 14.9 percent in 2025, yet the value of mineral output fell to about KES 20.3 billion, a nine-year low, after the Base Titanium operation in Kwale closed at the end of 2024 following roughly 11 years of production. This shows how dependent Kenya’s mining sector is on one or two large operations.

Tanzania: The Region’s Critical Minerals Leader

Tanzania has the most advanced portfolio.

• Graphite (Mahenge): the project in the Ulanga district, developed by Black Rock Mining with a joint venture involving the Tanzanian government, was reported in 2016 to hold a total resource of about 203 million tonnes, one of the largest flake graphite resources globally. Graphite is used in lithium-ion battery anodes. Current status and funding should be confirmed.
• Nickel (Kabanga): Lifezone Metals’ Kabanga project in north-west Tanzania is described as one of the largest and highest-grade undeveloped nickel sulphide deposits in the world. A 2023 update reported 43.6 million tonnes of measured and indicated resource at 2.02 percent nickel, with copper and cobalt as by-products.
• Rare earths (Ngualla): Ngualla, a carbonatite deposit in the south-west, is among the region’s best-known rare earth projects, with an emphasis on neodymium and praseodymium, the magnet metals. Ownership and financing have shifted over time, so check the latest company news.
• Helium (Rukwa): Helium One’s Southern Rukwa project in the Rukwa Rift reported a helium flow at up to 5.5 percent at surface in an extended well test. It is moving towards a mining licence, with the Tanzanian government due to hold a free carried 17 percent interest. Helium is used in medical scanners and semiconductor manufacturing.

A note on geography: Songwe Hill, often mentioned alongside Ngualla, is actually across the border in Malawi. It is a carbonatite rare earth project owned by Mkango, which reported 18.14 million tonnes of reserves at 1.16 percent TREO as of April 2025 and a planned 18-year mine life. It sits in the same broader rift and carbonatite province.

Uganda: Rare Earths and Copper-Cobalt

At Makuutu in eastern Uganda, Ionic Rare Earths is developing an ionic adsorption clay deposit, a type where rare earths are loosely attached to clay and can be extracted with relatively gentle chemistry. The project is noted for a high share of heavy rare earths, about 45 percent of its product basket. In July 2026 the company launched a strategic review to consider partners and funding structures in light of Western demand for non-Chinese supply. No outcome has been announced.

At Kilembe in western Uganda, a historic copper mine that opened in 1956 and later closed, the government signed its first mining production sharing agreement in 2025 with two Ugandan firms. Government geologists estimate about 4 million tonnes of ore at 1.98 percent copper and 0.17 percent cobalt. It is a sign of policy innovation, but the developers’ track record in mining is unclear, so delivery is the thing to watch.

Rwanda and Burundi: Tin, Tantalum, Tungsten and Rare Earths

Rwanda is a long-standing producer of the “3T” minerals: tin, tantalum and tungsten. Trinity Metals, formed in 2022 from three mines, reported in 2026 that its tungsten concentrate exports supply about 20 percent of US primary tungsten concentrate consumption, and that it has identified a lithium prospect in its Musha concession. Company claims like these are promotional and should be read with care, but they reflect real Western interest in alternatives to Chinese supply.

In Burundi, the Gakara rare earth project, a high-grade vein-type deposit, has been reported as small-scale production in recent years. Detailed information should be verified from company sources.

Ethiopia and Eastern DRC

Ethiopia has lithium and tantalum in pegmatites and potash in the Danakil Depression of Afar. Some partnerships have been sought for lithium and tantalum, but development is slowed by regional security, infrastructure and governance. Ethiopia’s gold developments, such as Tulu Kapi, show similar risk.

Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is rich in coltan, tin, tungsten and gold, and the DRC holds large copper and cobalt reserves farther south. Armed conflict and illicit supply chains make eastern DRC a high-risk, high-scrutiny area, and responsible sourcing rules matter. The DRC has also been pushing for more local processing.

Value Addition: The Policy Trend

Governments across Africa are moving away from exporting raw ore. Namibia has banned the export of unprocessed critical minerals such as lithium, and the DRC is pushing for local processing. Kenya’s Kenya Mining Investment Conference and Expo in 2026 stressed value addition, and the Mining Act already provides for a processing licence category for dealers.

The logic is attractive: processing creates jobs and technical skills, and captures more of the final price. The problem is that processing needs cheap, reliable power, skilled workers, chemicals, water, scale and secure markets. Forcing local processing too early can deter investment if it is not backed by infrastructure. The most workable approach tends to be phased: start with concentrates, then build up to refining as volumes and infrastructure grow.

Infrastructure, Ports and Geopolitics

East Africa’s coastline helps. Mombasa and Dar es Salaam are the main ports, and Tanzania’s and Kenya’s rail and road corridors serve the interior. Yet many deposits are far from ports, power is limited, and logistics add cost. Landlocked producers such as Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi rely on neighbours’ corridors.

Geopolitics matters as much as geology. China dominates the processing of many critical minerals and has tightened export controls, and the United States, European Union and others are looking for diversified supply. This gives East African countries bargaining power, but also exposes them to pressure. Kenya’s reported preliminary agreement with the US on rare earths has already triggered legal and public scrutiny. Some commentators also see critical minerals as a way to offset lost trade preferences, such as the end of AGOA, though that is a matter of debate.

Risks to Keep in View

• Price and demand volatility: battery metals and rare earths have had sharp swings.
• Resource uncertainty: many figures are old, unaudited or based on inferred categories.
• Policy and legal risk: changes in royalties, export rules, local-content requirements and licensing can alter project economics.
• Social licence: land, water, radioactivity (for thorium-bearing ores) and benefit sharing require genuine community engagement.
• Security and governance: especially in eastern DRC, parts of Ethiopia and the Horn.
• Funding: juniors often struggle to move from discovery to financing.

Conclusion

The opportunity in East African critical minerals is real: graphite and nickel and helium in Tanzania, heavy rare earths and copper-cobalt in Uganda, tungsten and tin in Rwanda, and a growing list of Kenyan prospects led by Mrima Hill. The challenge is converting geology into functioning, accountable and profitable projects. Careful exploration, transparent licensing, realistic processing plans and strong community engagement will decide which countries benefit most.

Facts, resource figures, fees and tenders change, so confirm details with official sources and company filings. This article is general information, not investment or legal advice.

Sources and Further Reading

• Inside Kenya’s fresh push to unlock strategic minerals wealth (Business Daily)
• Critical minerals seen as strategic offset after end of AGOA (Business Daily)
• Mayer Brown: Africa Mining Know-How, Kenya
• Ionic launches strategic review of Uganda rare earths project (Engineering News)
• Lifezone Metals updates mineral resource for Kabanga nickel project (Mining.com)
• Trinity Metals doubles tungsten supply to US (Mining Focus Africa)