Manganese developer Giyani Metals has welcomed the news that Botswana has joined the Energy Resource Governance Initiative (ERGI), which supports the discovery of mineral reserves of strategic metals used to make battery electric vehicles (EVs).
Under the ERGI, the US will share mining expertise with member countries to help them discover and develop minerals such as lithium, copper and cobalt, as well as advise on management and governance frameworks to help ensure their industries are attractive to international investors.
“We believe that this global effort will raise awareness of the strategic importance of securing the supply chain of verifiably-sourced and ethically-produced battery metals,” commented CEO Robin Birchall.
The other countries that joined the US-spearheaded initiative include Australia, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, the Philippines and Zambia.
Giyani stated that the ERGI would promote best practices in the mining sector and resilient energy mineral supply chains. It also aimed to diversify the relatively concentrated production of some strategic metals, in particular, those that were critical to the manufacturing of EVs.
In addition to the technical and professional aspects, ERGI would encourage the adoption and implementation of high safety and environmental standards in all mineral development projects globally. This, the project developer said, would aim to help ensure these projects were attractive to international investors.
Giyani, which is listed in Canada, focuses on a battery-grade manganese project and recently published the results of a preliminary economic assessment for the K.Hill manganese project, which determined that it has a value of $285-million.