By: Kanto
Kai Okanta
Malawi has been urged to
develop its own definition and priorities for critical minerals based on
national development needs, available resources and strategic priorities rather
than relying on classifications established by other countries.
Associate Professor Chikondi
Chisenga made the call during an engagement between the Malawi University of
Science and Technology (MUST) and the Mining and Minerals Regulatory Authority
(MMRA).
The meeting introduced
MUST’s “Advancing Malawi’s Critical Minerals Strategy through Data, Value
Addition and Energy Systems Planning” project to the regulatory authority.
Chisenga said Malawi needs
to clearly determine which minerals are critical to its own development, noting
that the strategic importance of a mineral can differ from one country to
another.
“A mineral that is critical
to another country cannot necessarily be important in another country,” he
said.
He also stressed the need
for broad stakeholder participation in developing the strategy to ensure that
it reflects national priorities and draws on expertise from across the mining
and minerals ecosystem.
Chisenga said collaboration
among researchers, government institutions, industry and other stakeholders
would be essential to developing practical solutions for Malawi’s mining
sector.
MMRA Director General Lloyd
Muhara welcomed the initiative and described it as a promising project for
Malawi.
Muhara particularly welcomed
the fact that the project is led by Malawian researchers, stressing the
importance of using local expertise to address the country’s development
challenges.
The project aims to
strengthen Malawi’s capacity to identify and manage critical minerals while
supporting data-driven decision-making, mineral value addition and effective
energy systems planning.
MUST said the initiative
reflects its commitment to applying research, innovation and local expertise to
national development while helping Malawi capture greater economic value from
its mineral resources.
