The European Investment Bank has approved non-dilutive technical assistance valued at up to €2 million, equivalent to about N$40 million, to accelerate the lithium feasibility study at Andrada Mining Limited’s Uis Mine in north-western Namibia.
The support, provided under a cooperation agreement with Andrada’s wholly owned subsidiary Uis Tin Mining Company, is funded through the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Technical Assistance Facility.
It is intended to advance the Uis Lithium Expansion Project to a bankable feasibility level and strengthen the project’s readiness for implementation within global green-energy supply chains.
Under the agreement, the EIB will act as the facility’s administrator and appoint and manage consultants to deliver key elements of the feasibility programme.
The services, provided on a grant basis with no repayment obligations, will focus mainly on metallurgical testing and related infrastructure studies, with Andrada providing technical guidance and reviewing outputs.
Andrada chief executive Anthony Viljoen said the EIB partnership materially accelerates the company’s lithium strategy while validating Uis as a strategically important asset.
“This partnership with the European Investment Bank is a major milestone for Andrada. It materially accelerates our lithium development strategy whilst validating Uis as a strategically important asset within the global critical minerals supply chain.
“The project will deliver strong local economic and social benefits for Namibian citizens while enhancing long-term value and contributing meaningfully to the Namibian economy,” Viljoen said.
EIB director for corporates and global activities Andrea Clerici said the transaction reflects growing European backing for diversified critical raw material supply. “Lithium is recognised as both a critical and strategic raw material under the Critical Raw Materials Act, and the EIB is increasingly supporting projects that diversify supply while maintaining high environmental and social standards,” Clerici said.
The Uis Mine exploits a large polymetallic pegmatite deposit hosting tin, tantalum and lithium mineralisation. Current production is focused on tin and tantalum concentrates, while lithium occurs predominantly as petalite within the run-of-mine material.
Andrada plans to monetise this lithium by integrating an additional beneficiation circuit into the existing processing plant, allowing lithium recovery from material that is already mined and processed.
The initial phase targets 50,000 tonnes per annum of petalite concentrate for the technical lithium market, without increasing ore requirements from the mining operation.
Earlier studies have already advanced the project to the pre-feasibility level, providing the foundation for the EIB-supported work.
A second development phase is envisaged to supply concentrate suitable for conversion into lithium chemicals for the battery industry, reinforcing both Andrada’s growth strategy and Namibia’s position within global critical-minerals value chains.
