Askari Metals is stepping up exploration at its Uis Polymetallic Project, a rare-metal play carved out through a series of strategic acquisitions that have steadily expanded the company’s footprint along the Cape Cross–Uis pegmatite belt in central Namibia.
The project began in October 2022, when Askari acquired 90 per cent of EPL 7345 from LexRox Exploration Services through the issuance of 2,792,553 shares, a transaction valued at roughly N$7–8 million based on Askari’s trading range at the time.
The company completed full ownership in early 2023 by acquiring Kokerboom Mineral Processing, which held the remaining 10 per cent.
Askari strengthened its position again in December 2022, picking up an 80 per cent interest in EPL 8535 from Earth Dimensions Consulting.
This gave the company continuous coverage across a pegmatite system that sits just 2.5 kilometres from Andrada Mining’s operating Uis Mine.
No cash payment was disclosed in either deal, with the transactions mainly structured under ASX rules as equity transactions.
The Uis Polymetallic Project has since evolved into one of Askari’s core Namibian assets, targeting tin, tantalum, rubidium and lithium, all of which have shown significant early promise from trenching, rock-chip sampling and soil geochemistry undertaken over the past two years. Previous assays have returned elevated lithium and rubidium from multiple trench zones, with tin and tantalum also showing consistent anomalism along structural corridors.
Historic rock-chip sampling across EPL 8535 confirmed exceptionally high grades, including tin (SnO₂) up to 3.17 per cent, tantalum (Ta₂O₅) up to 5,226 ppm and rubidium (Rb₂O) up to 0.87 per cent.
Mapping and rock-chip work at the Kestrel pegmatite target returned up to 0.38 per cent SnO₂ and 672 ppm Ta₂O₅.
A Phase 1 RC drilling programme of 59 holes totalling 3,523 metres also returned encouraging mineralisation, including one metre at 0.26 per cent SnO₂ with 227 ppm Ta₂O₅.
These results, drawn from historical datasets and early Askari work, indicate the presence of a robust rare-metal system across the licences.
A new set of trenching assays already in the laboratory will be released shortly, marking an essential step before drilling.
Askari now confirms that exploration will intensify in the coming weeks as field crews return to the site under a budget already approved for Namibia.
The work will include detailed mapping, structural interpretation, channel sampling and the expansion of high-priority targets identified along the major pegmatite bodies.
The aim is to refine drill-ready zones and build a clear picture of the mineralised network that runs across both EPL 7345 and EPL 8535.
The proximity to Uis Mine offers a strategic advantage. Askari’s licences are positioned within the same mineral system that has supplied tin to global markets for more than a century.
The company believes the pegmatites extending across its ground may host the same type of lithium-caesium-tantalum chemistry that Andrada is currently exploiting.
Although Askari recently closed an oversubscribed AU$1.6 million (approximately N$19 million) rights issue, the company stresses that the capital will not be redirected to Uis.
Those funds are ring-fenced for its Ethiopian gold and copper portfolio. Exploration at Uis is progressing under a separate Namibian budget, ensuring fieldwork continues without interruption.
Askari’s plans for Namibia include releasing the pending assay results from the previous trenching programme, restarting full field operations including systematic trenching across high-priority pegmatites, defining and ranking drill targets for a planned maiden drilling campaign at Uis, updating the project’s geological model with a complete interpretation of the Cape Cross–Uis pegmatite system, expanding mineralogical studies particularly on tin-tantalum zones and the rubidium-rich pegmatite fields, and assessing potential development synergies with existing infrastructure at the nearby Uis Mine.
However, the company notes that such considerations remain preliminary.
Executive director Gino D’Anna said the upcoming work marks a renewed, focused phase for Askari’s Namibian assets, adding that the recent investor support reflects confidence in Askari’s Southern African strategy.
The company believes the next round of assays will help unlock a more straightforward development pathway as it positions Uis as a future contributor to Namibia’s growing rare-metal sector.
With new results pending and fieldwork restarting, Askari’s Uis Polymetallic Project is entering its busiest phase yet, anchored by strong ownership, rising investor interest and growing geological evidence of significant rare-metal potential on Namibia’s historic tin belt.
