JOGMEC Signed an agreement with 5 African countries to secure critical minerals
Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) accompanied Mr. NISHIMURA Yasutoshi, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) on a visit to Southern African countries (Republic of Namibia, Republic of Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Zambia, and Republic of Madagascar) and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Republic of Zambia, and Scope of Work (SW) in Republic of Namibia and Democratic Republic of Congo in order to secure critical minerals.
In Republic of Zambia, with the aim of creating investment opportunities for Japanese companies in the mining sector, JOGMEC, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) , and Government of the Republic of Zambia jointly invited Japanese companies to hold a business roundtable.
1.Namibia
Mr. TAKAHARA, JOGMEC Chairman & CEO, attended the meeting between Mr. NISHIMURA, Minister of METI and Mr. ALWEENDO, Minister of Mines and Energy of the Republic of Namibia, and Ms. IIPUMBU, Minister of Industrialization and Trade of the Republic of Namibia, and presented JOGMEC's view on “Research on the Namibian Rare Earth Metals Supply Chain”. During the meeting, JOGMEC signed a SW for this research with the Ministry of Mines and Energy in the presence of Mr. NISHIMURA and Mr. ALWEENDO.
JOGMEC has been participating in the Lofdal Project of Namibia Critical Metals Inc. (Canada) since January 2020, and is currently implementing a rare earth exploration project in Namibia. In addition, at TICAD 8 held in Tunisia in August 2022, JOGMEC signed an MOU with the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Namibia for cooperation in supply chain research to promote the development of rare earths, training in metallic mineral resource exploration technology using satellite images and geographic information systems, joint analysis, and field surveys.
Under the SW based on the MOU, JOGMEC will conduct research that examines the possibility of Namibia becoming a hub for the rare earth industry in Namibia and neighboring countries considering the establishment of the concentration and separation facility in Namibia for ore extracted in Namibia and neighboring countries. The results will contribute to the "Namibia Rare Earth Industry Master Plan".
2. Democratic Republic of Congo
Mr. TAKAHARA, JOGMEC Chairman & CEO attended the meeting between Minister NISHIMURA of METI and Mr. MOTEMONA, Deputy Minister of Mines, and signed a SW for strengthening support on the exploration sector and environmental monitoring based on the MOU signed in February 2012 in the presence of Minister NISHIMURA and Deputy Minister MOTEMONA. Bearing in mind that mining investments based on high ESG standards will be promoted globally in the future, the addition of new technical support for environmental monitoring was made to the SW signed in 2018 on cooperation in satellite image analysis and joint implementation of field surveys.
The meeting and the signing of this SW have made concrete the content of cooperation with the country, which is rich in cobalt, lithium, and copper expected to see a rapid increase in demand in the future as key materials for electric vehicles.
3. Republic of Zambia
At the Japan-Zambia Mining Investment Roundtable, described below, Mr. TAKAHARA, JOGMEC Chairman & CEO signed an MOU with Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development of Zambia for strengthening cooperation in the field of exploration in the presence of Minister NISHIMURA and Minister KABUSWE.
This MOU updates the MOU signed in 2018 on cooperation in the field of exploration and human resource development with new additions such as holding seminars on sustainable development and assessing the potential of unutilized resources. In addition, the MOU strengthens the cooperative relationship with the country aiming to achieve an annual copper production of 3 million tons, by proposing the implementation of satellite image analysis using HISUI, a high-performance sensor onboard a state-of-the-art satellite, and the expansion of the area covered by the joint geological survey to the country.
JOGMEC co-hosted the Japan-Zambia Mining Investment Roundtable with METI and Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development of Zambia. 11 Japanese companies, 1 local Japanese company and JICA participated in the roundtable. The presentation by the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development of Zambia provided information on investment opportunities in Zambia, mining policy, taxation, investment incentives, debt restructuring, and cobalt mineralization in the Copperbelt.
Following the presentations, the Japanese end introduced each company and explained their activities in Africa, which was followed by a lively exchange of views and opinions to deepen understanding of mining investment in Zambia.
JOGMEC conducted site visit with 11 Japanese companies with the aim of deepening Japanese companies' understanding of mines operations and investment environment of Zambia at the Sentinel copper mine and the Enterprise Nickel project of First Quantum Minerals Ltd.
Furthermore, JOGMEC accompanied Minister NISHIMURA to Angola and Madagascar, and attended a business roundtable on the country's infrastructure in Angola and exchanged views on future exploration cooperation with Mr. RAKOTOMALALA Minister of Mine and Strategic Resource in Madagascar.
JOGMEC will continue to support African resource diplomacy with METI and further strengthen relations with African countries in order to ensure a stable supply of metal mineral resources to Japan.
