Region
Namibia

Sector
Mining & Metals

Summary:

A mining company in Namibia is seeking partners to provide technical and financial assistance to process slag into enriched flue dust for further refining.

Contact
Mara Zaire

Email
zaire@mti.gov.na

Tel
+264 61 283 7347

Project: Slag processing plant

Location: Tsumeb

Summary: Ongopolo Mining Ltd. proposes the extraction of indium, germanium, gallium and lead as enriched flue dust for sale and subsequent hydro metallurgical treatment for metal recovery. These metals would be recovered from slag dumps and the Tsumeb smelter complex, which is situated 450 km north of Windhoek. The slag dumps contain in excess of 2.2 million tons of material containing zinc (9.02%), germanium (350ppm), gallium (200ppm), indium (170ppm), lead (2.05%), iron (22.0%), silver (5ppm), silica (26.0%), alumina (4.0%) and lime (9.02%). The slag at Tsumeb accumulated as a result of lead smelting operations from 1963 to 1996. By virtue of closely spaced sampling and surveying, the two slag dumps can be classified as a measured resource and have been accumulated since 1962. The company intends to further process the slag and produce the oxide “fume”, which contains zinc, lead, germanium, gallium and indium that can then be sold for further refining.
 
Project status: A technical study undertaken by Korea Zinc - a zinc producer and leader in the treatment of slag - concludes that the slag can be processed to produce oxide fumes in which zinc, lead, germanium, gallium and indium will be concentrated.

Sector: Namibia’s economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. The mining sector accounts for 8% of the gross domestic produce, and provides more than 50% of foreign exchange earnings. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make the country a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of non-fuel minerals in Africa, the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium, and the producer of large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. There is increased marine diamond exploration and mining, which has prompted the government to enact appropriate legal framework, and also deal with relevant issues that are specific to marine exploration and mining.

Incentives: The government has in place a substantial package of incentives designed specifically to encourage exploration. These cover issues such as taxation, land access and rights of tenure. In addition, an excellent range of high-quality geological information is readily available to exploration companies.

For more information on this project contact the Namibia Investment Center.

Key contact: Mara Zaire
Deputy director, Investment Promotion Division
Namibia Investment Center
Email: zaire@mti.gov.na
Tel: +264 61 283 7347