Luanda, Aug. 31, 2026 (Lusa) - The Angolan Government announced on Monday that it is about to begin niobium mining in the country, thereby securing entry into the exclusive club of producers, of which only Brazil and Canada are members.
«This year» – 2026 – will see the start of mining operations in the municipality of Quilengues, in Huíla province, the mining of this ore, which is «very important to the global economy», said the minister for mineral resources, oil and gas, Diamantino Azevedo, in Luanda, on the sidelines of the ceremony marking the 32nd anniversary of Oil Block 15.
Over the weekend, the minister visited the Bonga and Tchivira Carbonatite Complex in Quilengues, in southern Angola, where niobium will be extracted. This rare metal is used to strengthen metal alloys and steel and is in demand by the aerospace, automotive, turbine manufacturing, steel and construction industries.
Currently, only Brazil and Canada supply this ore, and Angola will become the third country in the world and the first in Africa to supply the market.
«Almost 90% of the world's known reserves are in a single country, Brazil, and this makes it a critical mineral for the world; and by commencing production of this mineral, we will become part of that very exclusive club,» emphasised the Angolan minister.
He believes that, starting from Quilengues, «history will begin to be made for Angola's development».
Azevedo recalled that this Angolan potential was discovered several years ago by lecturers and students from the Faculty of Sciences, who identified this «ore of great importance to the global economy».
«After several years, this year Angola will join the exclusive club of niobium-producing countries,» he affirmed, without specifying dates for the start of mining operations.
In 2020, authorisation was granted for mining operations and the prospecting licence was awarded to the Chinese company Sociedade NIOBONGA – Comércio Geral, involving an investment of $136.6 million.
According to official figures, the exploration phase has already enabled the extraction of 40,000 tonnes of niobium.
The concession granted to the Chinese company covers an area of approximately 400 square kilometres in the Bonga and Chivila mountain ranges, for a period of 22 years, renewable up to 40 years of continuous mining.
According to the minister, it is already possible to see on the ground «the contribution the project is making and could make to development, bearing in mind that it has so far created around 1,000 direct jobs and 200 indirect ones, with many young people from the region employed in the sector».
The concession, he added, has also led to social projects such as a school, housing to rehouse the local community and the construction of a reservoir to supply water to the project, which may also be used by the public.
«We are working with the Ministry of Energy to supply power from hydroelectric sources, and this work – which involves the project investor – will also help to bring electricity to the people", he added.
The implementation of the project involved the displacement and rehousing of 400 families, each of whom received compensation of two million kwanzas (less than €1,900), according to local authorities, as quoted by the Angolan news agency Angop.
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