African Mining Week 2025 is set to be an important milestone for the mining industry, and Pensana’s CEO, Tim George, will be one of the key speakers. The event takes place from October 1-3, 2025, in Cape Town, South Africa, and attracts mining stakeholders, investors, and policymakers from across the continent and beyond.
George will contribute to a high-level panel titled “Critical Minerals: Driving Renewable Development in Africa,” which will focus on the crucial role of African critical minerals, rare earth metals, lithium, cobalt, copper, and energy transition metals in the global push towards renewable energy and decarbonization.
Advancing Angola’s Flagship Rare Earth Mine — Longonjo Project
Pensana’s Longonjo Rare Earth Project in Angola is gaining global attention as one of the continent’s most promising rare earth mining operations. Recent developments include a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japanese conglomerate Toyota Tsusho Corporation to supply 20,000 tons of ultra-clean Mixed Rare Earth Carbonate (MREC) over five years, alongside an existing offtake agreement with trading house Hanwa.
Longonjo is expected to produce:
20,000 tons per annum (tpa) of rare earths during Phase 1
Scale up to 40,000 tpa in Phase 2
This output will contribute roughly 5% of the global demand for magnet metal rare earths, essential components for wind turbines, electric vehicles, and green technologies.
Strong Financial Backing and Project Development
Pensana has secured significant financing for Longonjo, including:
$2 million from M&G Investment Management
$25 million from Angola’s Sovereign Wealth Fund
$268 million for Phase 1 development from partners like ABSA Bank and the Africa Finance Corporation
Construction began in May 2025, with first production expected in late 2026. Updated ore reserves estimate Longonjo holds 22 million tons of rare earths with an anticipated mine life of 20 years.
Unlocking Africa’s Mineral Wealth at African Mining Week 2025
The theme of AMW 2025, “From Extraction to Beneficiation: Unlocking Africa’s Mineral Wealth,” highlights the importance of maximizing value within the African mining value chain. The event will bring together African mining companies, policymakers, global investors, and industry leaders.
At the conference, Tim George will provide updates on Longonjo’s financing, engineering, and construction while exploring new partnerships and market opportunities in the global rare earths sector.
Contact
For more details about African Mining Week 2025 or to connect with Pensana:sales@energycapitalpower.com
Aleksei Andrievskii is the founder of the ANDRIEVSKII SEA WEALTH family office in Cyprus, member of the advisory board at Bendura Bank AG, Liechtenstein