Angola to join exclusive global niobium producers club

Angola is set to join the exclusive group of global niobium producers, joining only Brazil and Canada. The Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas, Diamantino Azevedo, announced that the country will become the third largest producer of this strategic mineral following the commencement of operations at the Bonga and Tchivira mining complex in the Quilengues municipality, Huíla province.

The project, managed by Niobonga Comércio Geral, Lda., involves an investment of approximately $136.6 million. Niobium is a critical mineral used to strengthen metal alloys and steel, with high demand in the aerospace, automotive, and construction industries.

Beyond economic diversification, the project has already impacted the local community by creating 1,000 direct jobs and 200 indirect jobs, as well as constructing a 12-classroom school in Milua. The mining complex includes extraction, processing, a laboratory, and a foundry to transform ore into final products.