Anesi Dickson is excited. The single mother of three from Kasiya, on the outskirts of Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, is hoping the discovery of rutile and graphite in her area will change the fortunes of her and the entire community of 50,000 people. Although she says she does not actually know what rutile is, she is convinced that it is a valuable commodity, going by the recent frequent flow of experts and officials from the government.
“I don’t actually know what rutile and graphite is all about. However, I have learnt from people that they are commodities used as major components in batteries for electric vehicles and that the commodities are in high demand overseas. The frequent visits by government and other people here signify the importance of the commodities,” she says.
The discovery in Kasiya
Recently, an Australian mining firm, Sovereign Metals Limited, announced it had discovered rutile and graphite reserves in the area after an exploration exercise. The reserves are said to be the second largest in the world. The good news was confirmed after a trial mining exercise was carried out at Group Village Headman Kapudzama’s area. Located in the Lilongwe plain, the Kasiya Rutile-Graphite reserve is a mostly flat area, 40 kilometres outside the capital.
Mining remains a critical driver of economic growth in many countries around the world, especially at a time when demand for raw materials is rising with the green energy transition. The rutile discovery and its subsequent mining and processing represent a significant development in global titanium supply chains, with operations demonstrating exceptional shallow mineralization characteristics and favourable extraction economics.
This has the potential to position Malawi as a strategic supplier for international markets, which will greatly improve its economy, which has relied on agriculture for many years.
What the minerals could be worth
According to a Malawian mining expert, Grain Malunga, natural rutile represents one of the most valuable titanium-bearing minerals in global markets, with random online research revealing the current pricing hovers between US$1,100 and US$1,700 per tonne. This premium valuation, he says, reflects the mineral’s exceptional utility in titanium dioxide pigment production and titanium metal manufacturing processes. According to him, the concentration of rutile is usually highest near the surface and decreases with depth.
“The graphite and rutile reserves that the country has are among the most sought-after commodities, as they have valuable titanium-bearing minerals on the market. The high grades start occurring from depths of 6 metres and below in the mottled and saprolite units,” Malunga explained.
Compensation, jobs, and services
Dickson says the coming of a mine developer means a lot to people from the area and beyond, as they have heard a lot of stories about the value of the mineral commodity underneath her land, some of which she lives on and cultivates food for her household. She says although she has been told that she and many other inhabitants of Kasiya will have to give up their land for the mine due to large-scale soil excavation, she is not bothered, as she knows they will be duly compensated.
“I am excited to hear that there are precious minerals underneath our land. This is not what we anticipated. Although we are told we will have to vacate the area to make way for the excavation, I am not worried because I understand the miner is working with the chiefs and government to have us compensated as project-affected people, so that we can restart our lives elsewhere,” she says.
Dickson also says apart from employment and business opportunities, she expects the mining to transform the area through the enhancement of basic social services like healthcare, water and sanitation, and education—sectors which she says have lagged behind over the years. For instance, she points out that the area has no piped water and they rely on boreholes which are not adequate and often break down, forcing them to use water from unprotected sources like shallow wells, thereby risking waterborne diseases like diarrhoea and cholera.
She hopes more classrooms at the nearby Malembo Full Primary School will be constructed so as to accommodate all learners, as some still learn under trees due to a shortage of adequate classrooms and a high number of learners in a country where there is universal primary school education.
Environmental and health concerns
Another resident of Kasiya, Mikayele Basikolo, says he hopes as a community they will have befitting benefits from the mining activities in the area, knowing that mining activities involve some deep excavations which, upon completion of the mining activities, will leave open trenches which will endanger people and livestock in the area.
“While we are excited with the impending rutile and graphite mining, we are also mindful of the fact that these activities will harm the surrounding environment by destroying land and biodiversity, causing water pollution, which could affect our lives. I hope our government will take long-term measures to protect us from all these risks,” he says.
Basikolo says when he travelled to Tete province in neighbouring Mozambique in 2024, where massive coal extraction has been taking place since 2006, he noted that despite most areas showing some visible infrastructural improvements, there were cases of increased air pollution which are putting surrounding inhabitants at risk of respiratory diseases. He wishes there were safeguards for local residents against the health risks that come with open-pit mining.
Government position
Director of Mining in the Ministry of Energy and Mining, Mphatso Chikoti, says the government is doing all it can to make sure all mining activities at Kasiya adhere to the set standards after the project was determined as economically and technically viable following various studies, including an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and trial mining.
“The studies were done with an aim of ensuring compliance with industry standards, the laws of Malawi, and sustainable development principles,” he said.
Civil society calls for safeguards
A member of the Civil Society Network for Extractive Industry Monitoring, Matthews Evans Kandiado, says it is of paramount importance that the Government of Malawi must make sure the agreements it is entering with mining investors are not impeding on the rights of citizens, especially women and indigenous people in the affected communities, noting that elsewhere in low-income countries where mining activities are taking place, people vulnerable to inequality like women are much less likely to benefit from resource extraction.
“We are urging government to make sure that the proceeds from the extraction industry should be able to benefit all people, including women, as these are the same group of people who are severely impacted by the environmental damage to the land, which leads to social issues like diseases, disruptions to livelihoods, and poverty, among others,” Kandiado says.
Kandiado goes on to ask government to protect its citizens from harassment by mine and government security, saying this has been a common challenge in neighbouring Mozambique where there are coal mining activities going on.
What happens next
The Kasiya mineral exploration started in 2000. Once operational, it is expected to produce 245,000 tonnes of rutile and 288,000 tonnes of graphite annually for 25 years. According to the Sovereign Metals projections, the project will generate revenue of up to US$654 million a year for 25 years, with a profitability rate of US$415 million a year. However, the project has a lifespan of 50 to 70 years.
Malunga concludes by asking the authorities to be open with the information regarding the mining activities, saying lack of it causes a lot of unnecessary speculation and rumour-mongering, which is being compounded by the lack of public understanding about mining in the South East African nation. For now, Kasiya residents like Dickson are looking forward to the day they shall see their livelihoods improve because of the precious commodities underneath their land.
