As Africa moves to fully harness its coal and uranium resources for economic growth, major shifts in the global financing landscape in 2025 are set to unlock new opportunities across the continent. In June, international finance institution The World Bank lifted its ban on financing nuclear projects – marking its re-entry into the nuclear value chain for the first time since 1965. In May, the U.S. export agency the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) ended its 12-year restriction on funding international coal projects.
Coal, uranium and investment market trends will take center stage at the upcoming African Mining Week (AMW) 2025 – Africa’s premier gathering for mining stakeholders – taking place on October 1 – 3 in Cape Town. The event will feature high-level panel discussions, project showcases and exclusive networking sessions, showcasing how global capital and African leadership are aligning to unlock the potential of coal and uranium value chains for sustainable development.
Africa’s coal sector has seen notable progress in 2025. In March, South Africa’s Seriti Resources launched the R500 million Naudesbank Colliery in Mpumalanga Province, producing one million tons annually in its first phase. The launch reinforces South Africa’s role as the continent’s leading coal producer. Concurrently, mining company Menar is advancing several coal and anthracite projects with a R7 billion investment plan through 2026, including the Bekezela and Sukuma mines in South Africa’s Gauteng province. The initiatives align with South Africa’s decision to classify coal as a critical mineral due to its economic and strategic importance. Ethiopia is also ramping up exploration, with coal reserves now estimated to exceed one billion tons. At AMW, a panel titled Coal’s Indispensable Role: Powering Africa’s Downstream Processing and Manufacturing Boom will showcase policies and incentives being used by African markets to attract investments across the coal value chain.
On the uranium front, the World Bank’s ban reversal offers renewed access to international financing – creating a pathway for expansion in Africa’s uranium-rich countries. Several projects have gained momentum in 2025. Lotus Resources is progressing with its 3-million-pound-per-year Letlhakane Uranium Project in Botswana, as well as the Kayelekera Mine in Malawi. In Tanzania, Moab Minerals secured a $500,000 investment from European Lithium for its Manyoni Uranium Project. Meanwhile, GoviEx Uranium is advancing development of its Muntanga Project in Zambia, with an expected annual output of 2.2 million pounds. Additionally, countries including Namibia, Mali, Ghana, Senegal, the Republic of Congo and Kenya have signed agreements to develop nuclear energy programs, underlining Africa’s growing focus to leverage its vast uranium resources for energy resilience. The continent’s biggest uranium producers Niger and Namibia also have several new and expansion projects underway.
These milestones represent a new era of investment potential across Africa’s coal and uranium industries, with African Mining Week 2025 serving as a key platform for governments, investors and industry stakeholders to collaborate and catalyze long-term growth.
Africa Fact: On the 1 March 1979, the New York Times carried an article on its front page also page sixteen that was entitled Nubian Monarchy called Oldest. In this article we were assured that: “Evidence of the oldest recognizable monarchy in human history, preceding the rise of the earliest Egyptian kings by several generations, has been discovered in artifacts from ancient Nubia” (i.e. the territory of the northern Sudan and the southern portion of modern Egypt.)
Mr. Spy
Chad: You have two cows. They will probably outlive you.
Avenge Paws
Fun South African Fact: South African Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the world’s first heart transplant on 3 December 1967 at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. The groundbreaking surgery was carried out on Louis Washkansky and Dr. Barnard was assisted by a large and exceptional team of surgeons, nurses and technicians. One of Dr. Barnard’s assistants was Hamilton Naki, a black laboratory assistant who had worked previously as a gardener and went on to work in the animal laboratory at the University of Cape Town. He had assisted Dr Barnard with research leading to the transplant. In the apartheid days, Naki had no access to higher education due to his race. Despite being unable to access formal training, he learned from and assisted university researchers and went on to do astonishing work.