Across Africa, a quiet but strategic race is unfolding for control of the metals that power the world’s clean energy revolution.
Chief among these are neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr) — the twin rare earth elements used to manufacture high-strength permanent magnets for electric vehicles, wind turbines and advanced electronics.
From Tanzania to Angola and now Namibia, countries are exploring and developing NdPr deposits as demand for green technology materials grows.
In Tanzania, Peak Rare Earths’ Ngualla Project in the southern highlands stands as one of the continent’s largest, with 214 million tonnes at 2.15% total rare earth oxides (TREO), of which about 22% comprises neodymium and praseodymium. The company has finalised agreements with the government and is preparing for construction.
Angola’s Longonjo Project, being developed by Pensana Plc near Huambo, holds 313 million tonnes at 1.43% TREO with roughly 23% NdPr content. It is backed by plans for a downstream separation plant, making Angola a frontrunner in Africa’s rare earth value chain.
In Malawi, Mkango Resources’ Songwe Hill deposit near Phalombe contains 21 million tonnes at 1.41% TREO, with NdPr accounting for about 20%. The project has completed a feasibility study and awaits environmental clearance.
Closer to home, Namibia is steadily emerging in this new critical minerals frontier through two projects — E-Tech Resources’ Eureka Project in the Erongo Region and Namibia Critical Metals’ Lofdal Project in Kunene.
Eureka, near Usakos, hosts monazite-bearing carbonatite veins rich in light rare-earth elements, particularly Nd and Pr. A 2024 technical report defined a measured and indicated resource of 310,000 tonnes grading 4.8% TREO, with NdPr oxides accounting for approximately 21%, equivalent to roughly 15,000 tonnes of contained NdPr. The mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth, with further drilling planned.
In Kunene, the Lofdal Heavy Rare Earth Project, a joint venture between Namibia Critical Metals and Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), is primarily a heavy rare earth deposit dominated by dysprosium and terbium, but it also records trace NdPr values.
The Japanese partnership is viewed as a strategic foothold for securing a diversified supply of rare earths outside China.
Lofdal’s mineralisation occurs within a swarm of carbonatite dykes and hydrothermal breccias stretching across 50 kilometres of the Epembe–Lofdal belt, near the village of Sesfontein.
The deposit contains exceptionally high proportions of heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), notably dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb), which are vital for high-temperature magnets used in electric vehicles, offshore wind turbines and defence systems.
Under the joint venture, first signed in 2020 and expanded in 2022, JOGMEC committed up to US$20 million (about N$374 million) to exploration, feasibility studies, and pilot processing to earn a 50% stake.
A 2024 resource update defined 2.2 million tonnes at 0.17% TREO, of which nearly 90% comprises heavy rare earths.
Within that, small but measurable quantities of NdPr enhance the deposit’s value and align it with the full suite of rare earth demand.
The ongoing Phase 2 programme, launched in mid-2025, includes advanced metallurgical testing and a demonstration-scale pilot plant to validate recoveries of Dy, Tb and NdPr at commercial scale.
Beyond its technical scope, the Lofdal partnership carries geopolitical significance. Japan relies on China for over 60% of its rare earth imports and has sought alternative suppliers since 2010.
The Namibian venture, supported by JOGMEC and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, marks one of the most tangible efforts to establish a non-Chinese supply corridor linking Africa and Asia.
The Namibian government recognises the project as central to its Green Industrialisation Blueprint, ensuring local training, procurement and environmental safeguards form part of the development framework.
If fully realised, Lofdal could make Namibia the first African nation to export heavy rare earth concentrates directly to Japan, establishing a bilateral pathway for critical minerals trade.
While Namibia’s NdPr tonnages are modest compared to the giants of Tanzania and Angola, its ore grades are considerably higher. Eureka’s 4.8% TREO grade surpasses the average for most African light rare earth deposits, and its NdPr ratio of about 21% places it within the same range as leading projects across the continent.
The Namibian government has included both Eureka and Lofdal in its Green Industrialisation Blueprint (2024–2040), which prioritises the development of rare earths alongside uranium, lithium and green hydrogen.
Under the EU–Namibia Critical Minerals and Green Hydrogen Roadmap, the country has also committed to fostering responsible supply chains for strategic materials such as neodymium and praseodymium.
By late 2025, NdPr oxide prices were averaging between US$65 and US$70 per kilogram (N$1,200–1,300/kg), steadying after earlier volatility.
Each wind turbine uses about 600 kilograms of NdPr, and an electric vehicle requires around 1.5 kilograms, underscoring the market’s long-term pull.
As E-Tech Resources advances metallurgical testing and mine design work, and as Namibia Critical Metals deepens its partnership with Japan, the country is quietly joining the small circle of African nations with defined NdPr resources.
The emerging picture places Namibia in an advantageous position — a high-grade newcomer in a market dominated by Tanzania, Angola and Malawi, with clear policy backing and growing European and Asian interest. For now, the quantities are smaller, but the potential is significant: a new chapter in Namibia’s mining narrative, written in the symbols Nd and Pr.
