LESS than half of mining projects approved in Namibia were in operation, a development that is prompting the country’s government to take a tougher stance on issuing permits, said Bloomberg News.
The newswire quoted Namibia’s mines minister, Tom Alweendo, as saying at a conference in Windhoek on Wednesday that just 68 of the 162 licenses approved were active.
“We have become more stringent when considering mining license applications,” Alweendo said. “Henceforth, the terms and conditions of all new mining licenses shall be captured in a Mining Agreement that shall be negotiated between the Ministry and the holder of the license,” he added.
Namibia is the world’s third-largest uranium producer and is home to deposits of lithium as well as rare earth minerals such as dysprosium and terbium, used in magnets and wind turbines, said Bloomberg News.
New permitting rules will stipulate that to be successful applicants must have the requisite technical skills as well as funding measures in place.
One of the most unequal nations in the world, it is seeking to better manage its resources to benefit residents and wants to seek more value from the metals and other resources it produces, said Bloomberg News.
Namibia received over 600 new applications for exploration licenses as of December, with an additional 400 submitted in 2024, Alweendo said.
