Developments in Namibian mining indicate growth of sector

The Namibian Minister of Environment and Tourism has given environmental clearance to Australia-based uranium explorer Deep Yellow for its 95%-owned Shiyela iron-ore project.



Mining a key component in Namibia’s economy

Namibia’s mining sector generated $1.6-billion in mining export earnings during 2011, contributing about 11% to the country’s gross domestic product, with the country’s buoyed uranium mining sector forecast to be the single largest mining...

De Beers Namibia unit says averts wage strike

Diamond producer Namdeb, a 50:50 joint venture between De Beers and the Namibian government has averted a wage strike after agreeing a pay rise deal with workers, the company said on Monday. Namdeb said it had agreed a 10% pay rise offer with the...

Plight of near-mine communities highlighted at Joburg conference

The plight of near mine communities in the Southern African region was highlighted recently at the annual Southern African Resource Watch conference held in Johannesburg.

Firestone Diamonds to build new Namdeb treatment plant

Aim-listed Firestone Diamonds has been selected as the preferred candidate to build and operate a new dredge and a 11,5-million ton a year floating treatment plant (FTP) for Namibian diamond-miner Namdeb. The FTP project was one of the...

Nambia allows downturn-battered Namdeb to defer 
royalties payment by three months

Namibia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy has deferred the levying of royalties on national diamond-miner Namdeb until November to give breathing space to the mining company to recover from the effects of the global slump.

Namibian Resources to close diamond operations

Aim-listed alluvial diamond mining company Namibian Resources, which mines diamonds on behalf of Namdeb, will place its operations in Namibia on care-and-maintenance, while the outlook for diamond markets remained uncertain. The cost of the...

Project delays, mine shutdowns and cutbacks

A chronological summary of project delays, mine shutdowns and production cutbacks announced by miners around the world in response the falling metals prices and tightening financial markets. Begins July 2008.

Namdeb cuts output as economic crisis hurts wholesale market

Namibian diamond producer Namdeb and De Beers Marine Namibia would immediately reduce production for the remainder of 2008 and early 2009, as a result of high inventory levels and low liquidity impacting on wholesale clients’ ability to purchase...

Diamond-miner finds ancient shipwreck, treasures in Namibia

Gem-miner Namdeb, which searches for diamonds along the south-western coast of Nambia, said on Wednesday that its geologists had uncovered a shipwreck with a wealth of treasures that could date back to the late 1400s or early 1500s in its mining...

De Beers' Penny says diamond beneficiation now critical part of Africa's macroeconomics

There is a new determination by African diamond producers to ensure that natural resources add maximum value to the benefit of the continent's people, with as much added value as is commercially viable, says world number-one diamond-miner De Beers...

Mining sector to grow 7,4% in 2007, says central bank

The Namibian mining sector �€“ the country's main foreign-exchange earner �€“ is projected to grow by 7,4% this year, slowing from last year's 13,6% growth rate, the Bank of Namibia said last week.