The Angolan government announced on Monday (31) that it is on the verge of launching niobium extraction, positioning Angola to join the exclusive group of global producers of the mineral — currently comprising only Brazil and Canada.
Mining operations are expected to begin this year at Quilengues, in Huíla Province, at the Bonga and Tchivira Carbonatite Complex. Niobium is a metal used primarily to enhance the resistance of steel and other alloys to heat and corrosion. The announcement was made by Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas Diamantino Azevedo in Luanda, on the sidelines of ceremonies marking the 32nd anniversary of oil block 15.
The minister visited the Bonga and Tchivira Carbonatite Complex over the weekend, where the extraction project will be developed. Niobium finds application across the aerospace and automotive industries, turbine manufacturing, steel production, and civil construction. With Brazil and Canada among the leading global producers, Angola could become the third-largest producer worldwide and the first on the African continent.
"Almost 90% of the world's known reserves are in a single country, Brazil, and that makes it a critical mineral for the world. By entering production of this mineral, we will become part of that very exclusive club," Azevedo said, adding that he believes Quilengues will be the place where "history begins to be made for Angola's development."
The minister recalled that Angola's niobium potential was identified several years ago by professors and students from the Faculty of Sciences, who discovered what he described as "a very important mineral for the global economy." "After several years, this year Angola will become part of the exclusive club of niobium-producing countries," he stated.
In 2020, the Chinese company Sociedade NIOBONGA – Comércio Geral was granted a licence for the exploration and prospecting of the mineral under a project valued at US$136.6 million. According to official data, the prospecting phase has already yielded the extraction of approximately 40,000 tonnes of niobium.
The concession covers an area of approximately 400 square kilometres across the Bonga and Chivila mountain ranges, for an initial period of 22 years, renewable to a maximum of 40 years of continuous operation. Azevedo noted the project has already contributed to local development, having created approximately 1,000 direct jobs and 200 indirect positions, many of them filled by young people from the region.
The concession also encompasses social infrastructure projects, including a school, housing for the resettlement of local residents, and a reservoir intended to supply water to the project — which could also benefit surrounding communities. The government is also working with the Ministry of Energy to secure electricity supply from hydroelectric sources, a solution that could additionally bring power to populations in the region.
The execution of the project required the relocation and resettlement of approximately 400 families who, according to local authorities cited by Angolan state news agency Angop, received compensation of less than €1,900.
Angola's entry into the niobium market is expected to contribute to economic diversification and allow the country to position itself as a new supplier of a mineral considered strategic across multiple global industries.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/08/31/mundo/angola/angola-anuncia-entrada-para-breve-no-clube-mundial-de-produtores-de-niobio/
