Mining & Trade News

The ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has unveiled its 2025 manifesto that intends to increase the mining sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the current less than 1% to between 10% and 15% by 2030.

Through the manifesto, MCP leader Lazarus Chakwera says this will be possible through harnessing the numerous resources that the country has and creating a conducive environment for the projects that are in pipeline.

Chakwera says: “This is possible because Malawi is richly endowed with a wide range of mineral resources, including gemstones, gold, coal, limestone, rare earth elements, platinum group minerals, and diamonds.”

“We see the Kasiya rutile and graphite project, touted as the largest known rutile deposit in the world, with its potential for significant annual revenues, as a major opportunity for Malawi.”

“The MCP led government has taken several significant steps to create a conducive environment for the progressive development of the mining sector in Malawi.”

“Since ascending to power in June 2020, the MCP government has modernized the policy legal framework for the mining sector including; established the Mining Authority; and constituted the Malawi Mining Company (MAMICO) to safeguard national interest in the mining sector.”

He explains that Malawi can leverage its natural resources to drive economic growth, create jobs, and improve the livelihoods of its citizens while ensuring sustainable and responsible development.

The Kasiya Rutile-Graphite Project is on track to become a global leader in critical minerals, with projections of $645 million (K1.2 trillion) in annual revenues over 25 years as compared to about $350 million annual forex earning from tobacco.

Malawi is also mining uranium at Kayelekera in Karonga.

With off take agreements of up to 1.5 million pounds of uranium already secured by the miner ASX-listed Lotus Resources from 2026 to 2029, the mine is expected to contribute significantly to the national economy.

To harness the sector’s potential to power inclusive growth, industrial transformation and generational prosperity, the MCP led government commits to undertake developments including: strengthening the Minerals and Mining Regulatory Authority to make the regulatory framework of the sector more efficient, transparent and accountable: increase the capacity of Malawi Mining Company (MAMICO) to spearhead the mining of industrial minerals and manage government shareholding including monitoring the progression of existing mining agreements and secure new ones with potential investors as well as negotiating community benefits from mining agreements.

He says: “We intend to promote beneficiation as a condition for investment in the sector to guarantee that a substantial proportion of wealth from minerals remain in the country.”

“We want to intensify efforts to monetize some of the minerals in order to generate resources necessary for front-loading the development of supporting infrastructure for wealth creation, and to provide stability to exchange rate movements.”

“We also plan to implement systems for accurately recording and managing mineral sector revenues to ensure they are used effectively for public goods and: strengthen the roles of Parliament and oversight institutions in natural resource governance, including increased information sharing and capacity building.”

Chakwera also promises to champion community engagement especially in the planning and implementation of mining projects to ensure their well-being and address potential development issues. He also plans to invest in training and education to build the capacity of the mining sector including support to the artisanal and small-scale miners (ASMs).

Chakwera says: “We will establish a structured market for gemstones and other minerals, particularly from ASMS while in the interim banks will start buying the minerals directly from the miners.”

“We will also transform the Department of Mining Engineering into a School of Mining at Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), accelerate skills development in the sector and; actively promote Malawi’s mineral sector to attract investment and stimulate growth, by targeting only serious investors with a global reputation for credible dealings in order to maximize benefits from the mining sector.”

“My government will champion sustainable, environmentally conscious mining that protects our ecosystems while delivering jobs and infrastructure as well as establishing a Sovereign Wealth Fund to secure the proceeds from mining for all Malawians while strategically investing in schools, clinics, roads and skills to further power the country’s transformation.”

MCP is also promising to undertake a comprehensive valuation of Malawi’s mineral wealth and other natural resources to hedge against loans such as Debt for Nature Swaps, to finance strategic national projects.  

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