Mining & Trade News

Small-scale gypsum miners in Mponela, Dowa are seeking support from government and potential financial partners to scale up production and meet the growing demand for the development mineral in different areas including cement production in which gypsum is used as a raw material in clinker manufacturing.

Gypsum miner and President of the Federation of Women and Youth in Mining (FWYM), the Women in Energy, Extractives and Mining Association (WEEMA) and FAMILJSA women mining cooperative Anne Kamanga said utilization of the cooperative’s locally sourced gypsum will help reduce imports of raw materials for cement production in light of the prevailing foreign exchange shortages Malawi is experiencing.  

“Our gypsum has already been approved for fertilizer use, what we need now is proper testing and support to prove its suitability for cement,” she said.

Currently, the FAMILJSA women mining cooperative produces gypsum mainly for fertilizer, and the ASMs under the banner of WEEMA have secured between 40 and 60 hectares to increase production but Kamanga lamented that delays in the licencing process has delayed operationalization.  

“Pending licenses have discouraged potential investors who were ready to fund large-scale production,” she said. Kamanga also said cooperatives like FAMILJSA and WEEMA lack the heavy machinery, skilled workforce, and transport needed to meet the demand of big potential customers such as cement producers.

“What is urgently needed is licensing, access to financing and processing equipment,” she said.

Kamanga explained that in order to supply cement producers, the ASMs are also waiting for the Geological Survey Laboratory to test the gypsum to determine whether it meets the quality standards required by cement manufacturers.

She said: “As a country, we cannot afford to keep importing what we already have. Malawi has the resources and what we need now is the will, the licenses, and the investment to turn gypsum into a solution for both our agriculture and construction sectors.”

Gypsum is used in cement production, fertilizer manufacturing, chalk production and other industrial applications worldwide.

Local cement producers import gypsum from as far as Oman.

Malawi is currently experiencing a cement shortage which has resulted in the rise in prices for the product forcing the government to court Zambian producers to supply Malawi with the commodity.

Local cement manufacturers have attributed their failure to meet domestic demand for cement to difficulties in sourcing foreign exchange to import gypsum and spare parts for maintenance of clinker plants.

Shayona Cement Corporation operates a clinker plant in Kasungu while Cement Products has one in Mangochi, and Portland Cement is finalizing construction of a plant in Balaka. 

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