Northern Graphite has made Namibia the centrepiece of its 2027 growth strategy, with the planned restart of the Okanjande graphite mine expected to underpin an international battery materials business spanning Africa, Saudi Arabia, Europe, and North America.
In his annual message to shareholders, chief executive officer Hugues Jacquemin said the company was building resilient graphite supply chains outside China by linking its mining assets in Canada and Namibia with battery anode material processing in Saudi Arabia, Germany, France and Canada.
He said the strategy was no longer a long-term ambition but one that was already taking shape through the company’s mining assets, processing technology and strategic partnerships.
Namibia occupies a central place in that strategy. Northern completed the relocation of its processing plant from the former Okorusu site to Okanjande at the end of June, describing the move as the first execution step towards restarting production in late 2027, subject to financing.
The relocation, which involved moving the plant about 85 kilometres, is expected to lower operating costs, eliminate the need to transport ore between sites and position Okanjande as the source of graphite for the company’s downstream expansion.
The restart is closely tied to Northern’s proposed US$200 million Battery Anode Material plant in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.
Jacquemin said the joint venture agreement with Obeikan Investment Group includes an offtake provision for up to 50,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate a year from Okanjande, effectively creating a customer for future Namibian production and providing what he described as the commercial foundation needed to support financing and restart efforts at the mine. Construction of the Yanbu facility is expected to begin in early 2027, subject to a final investment decision later this year, with production targeted for 2028.
“This is not a theoretical vision,” Jacquemin said. “We have already laid the foundations for a global graphite and battery materials platform outside China through our graphite mining assets in Canada and Namibia, the processing expertise and technological capabilities of our Battery Materials Group in Frankfurt, and the strategic partnerships needed to execute.”
Northern believes the strategy comes at a time when governments and manufacturers are seeking secure supplies of critical minerals outside China.
Rather than remaining solely a graphite miner, the company intends to participate further down the value chain by producing battery anode material, where Jacquemin said more value is being created as battery markets mature.
The company strengthened that strategy earlier this year by restructuring approximately US$22 million of senior secured debt and accrued interest with Sprott Resource Streaming.
This transaction made Sprott its largest shareholder and removed a significant financing overhang. Jacquemin said the stronger balance sheet would allow Northern to focus on restarting both its Lac des Iles mine in Canada and its Okanjande mine in Namibia as the company advances its international battery materials strategy.
Although financing, environmental approvals and a final investment decision still lie ahead, Jacquemin’s message makes clear that Okanjande is no longer being developed as a standalone mine.
Instead, the Namibian operation is expected to become the primary African supplier of graphite concentrate to Northern’s global battery materials business, making the planned 2027 restart one of the company’s most important milestones over the next two years.
