ALMATY — Kazakhstan is intensifying its global search for strategic minerals as the national mining company Tau-Ken Samruk launches geological exploration for rare and rare-earth metals in Rwanda and Afghanistan, Samruk Kazyna Chairman Nurlan Zhakupov said on Nov. 17.
Photo credit: tks.kz
Zhakupov emphasized that Tau-Ken Samruk is pursuing targeted cooperation in both jurisdictions, aiming to strengthen Kazakhstan’s role in international critical mineral supply chains, reported the Kazinform news agency.
According to Zhakupov, the project in Rwanda is moving into an operational stage following the signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement.
“In Rwanda we have signed a cooperation agreement with their government body. We have identified five target zones. On our side, all documents have been approved and submitted for consideration to the Rwandan authorities,” he said.
Kazakhstan expects approval from Rwandan partners by the end of the year, after which a joint venture will be established to carry out exploration and future mining operations.
Discussing Afghanistan, Zhakupov said initial field research indicates promising potential, though work remains at the exploratory stage.
“Work is also underway in Afghanistan. We collected samples from two sites, and they showed good geological results. We are currently in dialogue with potential local partners to understand how we should proceed with licensing,” Zhakupov said.
He emphasized that Kazakhstan’s broader objective is not only to secure raw materials abroad but also to strengthen domestic value-added processing. According to Zhakupov, Kazakhstan intends to develop advanced processing of raw materials from third countries and increase the utilization of its own facilities for producing rare and rare-earth materials.
Earlier, The Astana Times spoke with Galym Nurzhanov, CEO of Kazakhmys Barlau and deputy chairman for geology and strategy at Kazakhmys Corporation, about expanding exploration and the potential of Afghanistan’s untapped geology.
