The Kaoko Basin in northwestern Namibia is best known for its copper and silver, but it also contains lead, zinc, and barite, along with other secondary minerals.
The basin stretches for nearly 700 kilometres in length and up to 200 kilometres in width across Namibia’s Kunene Region.
It runs from the Skeleton Coast in the southwest to the Kunene River on the Angolan border in the north, bounded by the Damara Belt to the east and the Atlantic margin to the west.
Formed during the collision of ancient continental plates, it is marked by shear zones, thrust faults and folded strata that acted as channels for mineralising fluids. Within its Ombombo Subgroup and Dolomite Ore Formation horizons lie the copper–silver and cobalt–zinc systems that give the belt its importance, making it the south-western extension of Africa’s giant Copperbelt.
At the Omatapati prospect, the rocks host copper and zinc minerals such as chalcopyrite and sphalerite, while weathering near the surface has produced malachite and covellite.
Drilling has revealed copper values ranging from 0.4 to 5.2 per cent and silver values between 23 and 312 grams per tonne, highlighting the variety of metals present. Copper is essential for power lines, motors and renewable energy systems, while silver is used in jewellery, electronics and solar panels.
Zinc protects steel from rust, lead is essential in batteries and alloys, and barite is used in drilling fluids for the oil and gas industry.
Collectors prize the colourful malachite and covellite, but also help geologists locate richer copper zones.
Companies are steadily building positions in the Kaoko Belt. White Metal Resources, through its Namibian subsidiary, Taranis, has advanced Okohongo from a historical discovery to a compliant resource.
After reconnaissance and follow-up work, the company drilled 3,226 metres of RC holes and re-logged historical diamond drill core.
In August 2021, White Metal announced a NI 43-101 resource of 7.7 million tonnes grading 1.55 per cent copper and 26.8 grams per tonne silver, equivalent to a copper equivalent of 1.82 per cent.
That represents approximately 119,000 tonnes of copper and 6.6 million ounces of silver, metals critical for wiring, renewable energy grids, electronics, and solar power. White Metal renewed EPL 7071 in 2021 and has continued resampling and planning further drilling.
Kalahari Copper Limited’s Namibian assets, now tied to Oscillate’s acquisition plan, have undergone more than 8,000 metres of drilling, with reported copper grades exceeding 1 per cent in some areas.
Intercepts at Omatapati include 1.2 per cent copper over 20 metres, 1.1 per cent copper over 4 metres, and 1.9 per cent copper over 2 metres.
Only a fraction of the mapped targets have been tested so far, and Oscillate’s September 2025 agreement outlines the path to full ownership of four licences in the Kaoko Basin, two of which are pending renewal.
If converted into resources, the copper could support electric vehicle wiring and motors, while the silver would benefit electronics and the fast-growing solar market.
INV Metals and Teck carried out earlier district-scale exploration that still underpins much of today’s targeting. Their joint work across a suite of licences included basin analysis, geochemistry, mapping and nearly 400 drill holes, along with more than 110,000 soil and rock samples.
That campaign identified over 200 copper-silver prospects and highlighted the Ombombo and Devede stratigraphy as fertile horizons.
The work provided the geological framework that current explorers are refining with new drilling and surveys.
Cazaly Resources once positioned itself in the Kaoko through its Kaoko Kobalt project, targeting cobalt, copper and zinc in the Dolomite Ore Formation horizon. However, after several years of exploration spending, the company has now abandoned its Namibian cobalt interests following a strategic review.
Cobalt remains a crucial component of the global battery supply chain, used in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and electronics. Zinc and copper, on the other hand, support infrastructure and renewable energy.
Even without Cazaly, the belt’s cobalt potential is benchmarked by the nearby Opuwo deposit, which contains more than 126,000 tonnes of cobalt and nearly half a million tonnes each of copper and zinc.
The Kaoko Belt remains in the exploration stage, but the work completed shows both scale and diversity.
Copper and silver dominate, while cobalt and zinc add strategic importance for the battery and steel industries. Lead supports energy storage, barite serves the oil and gas industry, and specimen minerals like dioptase and shattuckite appeal to collectors.
With White Metal defining resources, Kalahari Copper and Oscillate pushing drilling and licence consolidation, INV and Teck’s historical database guiding exploration, and Cazaly stepping back from cobalt, the belt is steadily moving from a frontier concept into a recognised polymetallic province in Namibia.
