company’s portfolio through the operation of small-scale mining rights, offering non- dilutive paths to project financing. Springbok: District-scale potential in South Africa Anchored by the past-producing Norrabees spodumene mine, Lithium Africa’s 70%- owned Springbok Project in South Africa’s Northern Cape, held outside the Ganfeng JV, comprises a 1,675km² district-scale land package containing more than 40 known spodumene-bearing pegmatites. A 3,500-metre programme combining diamond and reverse circulation drilling got underway in July 2026, with Norrabees I and II the primary targets and defining a new mineral resource the primary goal. Historical drilling has previously returned promising results, but much of the land package remains unexplored, hinting at considerable potential upside. The company likens Springbok’s potential to that of the vast ‘Lithium Valley’ in Brazil, whose operators boast a collective market capitalisation of over US$2 billion. The aforementioned stockpile, generated by historic production at Norrabees, sits at over 30,000 tonnes at 1.61 wt% Li₂O. The company plans to process the stockpile through an on-site dense media separation plant, with the resulting cash flow offering a non-dilutive funding path to advance the project. With the presence of high-grade spodumene mineralisation already confirmed in initial market communications about the drill campaign, subsequent results expected throughout Q4 2026 and Q1 2027 will be closely watched by investors and players across Africa. An initial mineral resource estimate is targeted for the first half of 2027, with a preliminary economic assessment to follow. Adzopé: Emerging district in Côte d’Ivoire Through its JV with Ganfeng, Lithium Africa is advancing a district-scale exploration programme across a 485km² area that brings together the Adzopé and Agboville licenses in a single, integrated opportunity in Côte d’Ivoire. Exploration has already identified two significant spodumene-bearing pegmatite corridors, the Saby Trend at Adzopé and Kanien Trend at Agboville. Trenching at the former and rock sampling at the latter have demonstrated the presence of
are in Africa, demanding a much lower initial capital intensity; $6,300 per tonne of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent versus $12,100 for South American brine and $77,000 for volcano-sedimentary clay like that at Thacker Pass in Nevada. The combination of abundant resources, comparatively low exploration maturity, low-costs and rising global demand suggests Africa could become a major source of future lithium supply with the requisite level of investment. Indeed, S&P Global projects that Africa will supply 60% of the world’s lithium by 2030. Looking to define a new frontier on the continent is Canadian-listed explorer Lithium Africa. Lithium Africa: Defining the African lithium frontier Lithium Africa is active in six jurisdictions across Africa, with active drilling in South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire supported by early-stage exploration across its wider portfolio. In 2023, the company entered a 50/50 joint venture (JV) with a subsidiary of Chinese giant Ganfeng Lithium, the operator of Goulamina, one of the world’s largest hard-rock lithium deposits. Under the terms of the deal, every exploration dollar is matched by Ganfeng, which also contributes its considerable downstream and chemical processing expertise. The JV covers the company’s exploration portfolio beyond South Africa, including Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Mali, meaning the Springbok Project is held outside the JV. Lithium Africa brings decades of African dealmaking experience to the table, as well as a highly experienced management and exploration team with a proven track record. Chief Executive Officer Dr. Tom Benson helped define what is now recognised as the world’s largest measured lithium resource – Thacker Pass – in his previous role as VP of Global Exploration at Lithium Americas. At Lithium Argentina, he led the strategy to develop the vast lithium brine operation of Caucharí-Olaroz in another JV with Ganfeng. What is so attractive about Lithium Africa is that its projects are capital light and largely self-funding. Exploration expenditure, so often the burden of a fledgling miner, is expected to be significantly covered by cash flow from the processing of stockpiles at the Springbok Project and the monetisation of the
high-grade lithium mineralisation across multiple targets. A 2,000-metre reverse circulation drilling programme is now underway to test the continuity and scale of the mineralised system, with results targeted by year-end. The company has also applied for the adjacent Sikensi license, which, if granted, would further extend Adzopé. Crucially, like at Springbok, Lithium Africa is targeting a district-scale opportunity that would significantly contribute to Africa’s expanding lithium sector. What does the future hold for lithium in Africa? Africa’s lithium sector appears to be approaching an inflection point. With global demand expected to rise sharply over the coming decades and established producing regions facing the challenge of bringing sufficient new capacity online, attention is increasingly turning towards underexplored jurisdictions with the scale to support long-term supply growth. The continent possesses many of the ingredients required to become a major lithium producer, including world-class geology, competitive operating costs, swathes of underexplored ground and improving infrastructure in several key mining regions. The next phase of growth will depend on attracting sustained investment and converting exploration success into commercially viable operations. Companies capable of identifying district- scale opportunities, securing strategic partners and advancing projects efficiently are likely to play a defining role in shaping Africa’s lithium future. That is where Lithium Africa is seeking to establish itself. Combining its partnership with Ganfeng Lithium, experienced technical team and portfolio of projects spanning both advanced and early-stage jurisdictions, the company is positioning itself at the forefront of Africa’s emerging lithium story. Whether at Springbok in South Africa or Adzopé in Côte d’Ivoire, the focus is not simply on developing one-off deposits, but large-scale districts that could go a long way to meeting the continent’s and world’s burgeoning lithium needs. If Africa is to become the next major source of global lithium supply, companies such as Lithium Africa are likely to help lead the way. n
November 2026 | www.modernminingmagazine.co.za MODERN MINING 13
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