African Pioneer is stepping up its efforts to advance the Ongombo Copper-Gold Project in Namibia, with Executive Chairman Colin Bird emphasising that partnerships will be crucial to unlocking its full potential.
The Ongombo Project is located about 40 kilometres northeast of Windhoek in Namibia’s Khomas Region.
It lies within Exclusive Prospecting Licence 5772 and benefits from well-developed infrastructure, with road and rail access running between Windhoek, Gobabis, and Walvis Bay.
The project area is situated near the historic Otjihase and Matchless mines, underscoring its position within a proven copper-producing belt.
“We are convinced that we can increase the open pit potential, whilst identifying further ore contiguous to the boundaries and infill the area between the central and east shoot.” Bird said in his latest update to shareholders.
“Ongombo has the benefit of mining and exploration permits and represents a viable near production mining potential for an 8,000-tonne-of-copper-per-year project.”
The company confirmed that it is actively investigating nearby mining concessions with known resources and access, arguing that there is clear synergy between these projects.
Bird noted that collaboration or acquisition could enlarge Ongombo beyond its current scale.
Currently, Ongombo holds the benefit of approximately 300,000 tonnes of contained copper and remains open-ended for further additions.
The new 20-year mining licence (ML 240), granted on 25 June 2025 and valid until March 2045, has provided African Pioneer with the certainty it needed to commence serious planning work.
The licence followed the earlier Environmental Clearance Certificate, marking the final step in the permitting process.
With these approvals in hand, the company is engaging external mining and resource advisors to refine the project, including updated resource estimates, targeted infill drilling, and mine planning to maximise the resource base.
Planning discussions are also underway with preferred contractors for both open-pit and underground mining. African Pioneer is focusing on building a reliable database of unit costs to update its financial models, ensuring that when development begins, it does so on a sound economic footing.
Independent consultants have already delivered a revised mineral resource estimate showing 5.7 million tonnes at 1.1% copper equivalent in the Indicated category, with a substantial inferred underground resource of 23 million tonnes.
Together, these positions position Ongombo as a project with near-term development potential but also significant long-term upside.
Bird added that African Pioneer is in “advanced discussions with multiple parties about project-level funding,” a move that would allow the company to accelerate Ongombo’s transition into production.
With copper prices buoyed by structural demand growth linked to electrification and the energy transition, the company believes Ongombo can emerge as a valuable mid-tier copper producer in southern Africa.
In Zambia, African Pioneer continues its joint venture with First Quantum Minerals, where exploration has confirmed Congo-style mineralisation in the Northwestern licences, just 100 kilometres from Ivanhoe’s Kamoa-Kakula mine in the DRC.
Meanwhile, in Botswana, the company is re-evaluating its Kalahari Copperbelt licences for small- to medium-scale mining potential in the 5,000 to 10,000 tonnes per annum range.
“Our passionate belief in copper and the strategic positions we hold in southern Africa will add considerable value to shareholders in the coming months,” Bird said.
With the Ongombo licence secured and funding talks progressing, African Pioneer has shifted from permitting to execution.
The company is betting that by combining its own resource base with potential synergies from neighbouring concessions, Ongombo will stand as a long-life copper mine positioned at the heart of Namibia’s next wave of mining development.
