The Kokoseb Gold Project is set to become one of Namibia’s largest rural employers, with early projections showing an enormous labour footprint long before the first gold bar is poured.
At the height of construction, the project will need between 1,100 and 1,500 workers, drawing people from Uis, Okombahe and surrounding communities into what will be one of the most significant job-creation drives in the Erongo Region in years.
Once Kokoseb moves into steady-state operations, the workforce will stabilise at 800 to 900 permanent jobs, spread across the mine’s processing plant, mining operations, workshops, laboratories, planning offices and environmental departments.
About 120 employees will keep the processing plant running; 200 people will fill technical roles, administration, safety, health, environment and management; around 100 employees will handle maintenance; and the mining component will absorb roughly 450 positions, from drill-and-blast teams to load-and-haul operators, pit controllers and supervisors.
This workforce will sit within a contractor-driven mining model, with a preferred mining contractor expected to employ 800 to 900 people at peak production.
Within that group will be a management team, a mine technical services division, a support services arm, drill-and-blast specialists, load-and-haul crews and a fully staffed maintenance team working around the clock to keep the mobile fleet moving.
These numbers make Kokoseb not just another gold project but a significant employment centre taking shape on Exclusive Prospecting Licence (EPL) 4818 between Uis and Okombahe—about 15 kilometres from Okombahe and 30 kilometres from Uis.
The scale mirrors that of Namibia’s two established gold mines, B2Gold’s Otjikoto and QKR’s Navachab, and the project’s operational design follows similar patterns. Mining will use conventional open-pit methods: drilling and blasting rock in 5-metre ore benches and 10-metre waste benches, loading material with medium-sized hydraulic excavators, and hauling it to waste dumps or the Run-of-Mine pad for crushing and gold extraction.
Processing will take place on-site, through cyanide leaching, carbon-in-pulp extraction, electrowinning and smelting in an induction furnace to produce gold bars.
It is a high-impact, highly mechanised operation that will run 361 days a year, 24 hours a day, using three rotating eight-hour shifts.
With approximately 80 per cent of equipment operators expected to enter at the unskilled level, the mine’s localisation plan will focus on training and upskilling, and on gradually transitioning responsibilities to Namibian workers.
The story behind this massive employment engine began with one of the fastest large-scale gold discoveries in recent African mining history. WIA Gold announced its maiden Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate for Kokoseb in May 2023—1.3 million ounces at 1.0 g/t, including a high-grade core of 0.72 million ounces at 1.5 g/t.
These figures arrived barely twelve months after drilling began. By April 2024, the resource had grown by 63 per cent to 2.1 million ounces at 1.0 g/t, with a higher-grade zone of 1.53 million ounces at 1.4 g/t.
Early metallurgical results have been equally encouraging, with gold recoveries exceeding 91 per cent through gravity and direct leach processes.
This rapid growth has positioned Kokoseb as one of the lowest-cost modern gold discoveries globally, with discovery costs of under US$3 per ounce. Encouragingly, the deposit remains open in all directions and at depth, leaving room for further expansion as drilling continues.
The mining method planned for Kokoseb reflects both efficiency and precision. Ore and selective waste will be mined in 5-metre benches, while broad waste zones will be mined in 10-metre benches, split into 5-metre flitches for better control.
Excavators will range from 130-tonne hydraulic backhoes for selective loading to 200-tonne units for bulk material movement. Haulage will rely on 100-tonne off-highway rigid trucks, supported by a suite of secondary and ancillary equipment.
Standard open-pit drill rigs capable of drilling holes up to 171 mm in diameter will handle blast preparation.
A globally experienced start-up team will lead the early development years, ensuring safe commissioning and a disciplined ramp-up.
Over time, the skills and technical functions will transfer to trained Namibian teams, supported by the project’s localisation plan.
Ownership of Kokoseb lies with Mandarin Investments (Pty) Ltd, a joint venture between Damaran Exploration Namibia (Pty) Ltd and Epangelo Mining Company (Pty) Ltd. Damaran Exploration is a subsidiary of WIA Gold, the operator and parent company driving the project’s vision and development path.
As Kokoseb advances toward a final investment decision, the employment figures, the expanding mineral resource and the robust mine design all point toward a transformative operation.
Kokoseb has the potential to reset local economies, build new skills, and deliver long-term opportunities that extend far beyond the open pit.
