Akatswiri Completes Feasibility Study for $820 Million Aluminium Project in Malawi

Malawian company Akatswiri Mineral Resources (Akatswiri) has completed a feasibility study for an $820 million aluminium production project in the southern African nation, according to a report by the Nyasa Times. The study, published on November 24, indicates that bauxite—the primary raw material for aluminium production—has been found at two sites in a mountainous region in southern Malawi at depths of between 10 and 15 meters, with a thickness spanning four to five meters.

The deposits are expected to yield approximately 580,000 tonnes of bauxite annually, which would be processed into around 100,000 tonnes of aluminium each year. The project has the potential to significantly transform Malawi's industrial landscape, given the importance of aluminium as a key industrial metal that the country currently imports in large quantities.

“This is a project with huge potential to change the industrial landscape of our country. Aluminium is a key industrial metal, and we currently import a lot of it. We would prefer to raise the necessary resources locally so that Malawians can fully own this transformative project," Akatswiri Chairman Hilton Banda said, as quoted by Nyasa Times.

However, the project faces several challenges, including the need to raise substantial capital and the availability of a reliable electricity supply for aluminium production, which is known to be an energy-intensive process.