Malawi’s Geological Survey Department (GSD), in collaboration with the UK GSD, has embarked on the long-awaited $42-million geological remapping of the country, which will entail grassroots exploration to produce geological, geophysical and geochemical maps incorporating information not included in old maps.

Malawi GSD director Leonard Kalindekafe says the Malawi government and the UK Department for International Development are funding the project.

However, he says the funding available from the two partners is not enough to cater for the entire project, and the Malawi government is looking for more funds from organisations like the World Bank.

“The World Bank has agreed in principle to finance the project. 
“We want the World Bank to be the lead financier for the project, which is very 
important for Malawi’s mineral 
resource development,” says Kalindekafe.

He notes that Malawi is currently using maps that were produced in the 1950s and 1960s, when Malawi was under British colonial rule. 
Back then, understanding of the earth-forming processes and mineralisation controls was minimal.

Kalindekafe points out that, since that time, there have been a number of breakthroughs
 in geology and related disciplines.

“We are very optimistic about the project because there are known mineral occurrences in neighbouring countries whose 
environments extend into 
Malawi. Gold is being mined in Tanzania and Mozambique, 
for example, in geological 
environments which extend into Malawi.

“Remapping in the Mchinji area, in the central region, has shown some old gold workings, which are not documented 
anywhere.

“Further, a [study] conducted in the south-east of the country has indicated that the geology was overgeneralised in certain instances and that certain rocks were wrongly mapped,” says Kalindekafe.

He says the Malawi government hopes that the remapping project will unveil the true 
mineral resource potential of the country, making it attractive to more mining investors.

Malawi is hoping to discover sizeable quantities of high-value minerals, such as gold, diamond and hydrocarbons. 
The country was a gold producer from 1906 to 1940.

Exploration work carried out in the 1950s to the 1960s unearthed grains of diamonds. 

Malawi also boasts several 
deposits of industrial minerals, notably heavy minerals, niobium and rare earths.

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