Ashlee
Regular
Together with sexist.
AVZ Discussion 2022
- Thread starter GazDix
- Start date
If the US Government is concerned with Lithium supply and the Chinese going forward maybe they can become a partner with Kobold or at least a lender so that a fair and decent offer can be made to AVZ. Otherwise they may miss out altogether.
I am waiting for the ICSID dates to be published. Full steam ahead with those hearings so all our cards are on the table as to where we stand and what it will take to get it off us.
I am waiting for the ICSID dates to be published. Full steam ahead with those hearings so all our cards are on the table as to where we stand and what it will take to get it off us.
Hey Tolate, thanks for the all the comments on AVZ mate, it would be fantastic to meet down the local pub and have a chat with you and your mates. Just let all the AVZ crew know where and when!
Mute22
Regular
In the DRC, Chinese and American companies race for lithium
By Guillaume Jan (Manono (Democratic Republic of Congo), special correspondent)Published yesterday at 8:00 pm (Paris)4 min readLire en français
Subscribers only
Feature |
In the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the city of Manono sits atop the world's largest reserves of this mineral essential to the energy transition. A Chinese group signed the first contract there in 2022, followed this year by a California-based company.
The sun had been up for less than an hour, and already a multitude of artisanal miners – known locally as "diggers" – were already hard at work in the maze of pits at the Kitololo quarry. Wearing rubber boots or simple sandals, armed with shovels and crowbars, hundreds of men, women and sometimes children tirelessly search underground for traces of coltan and cassiterite.
Read more Subscribers only In Russia's shadow, China pushes its agenda in Sahel mines
"The quarry expands every month," said Floribert (who did not wish to give his last name), 21, one of the miners. "Last year, there were fields here, we grew rice and sweet potatoes. But people prefer to dig, since we get paid immediately for the ore we collect and roughly sift. On good days, we can earn more than 35,000 Congolese francs [about €10]."
One kilometer away, at the foot of the majestic Manono Cathedral in the center of this city of about 180,000 people, Father Moïse Kiluba, a staunch defender of his parishioners' rights, assessed the situation: "Minerals make a lot of people dream. There is strong demand for coltan and cassiterite, essential components of the digital revolution that has come with the widespread use of mobile phones. And more and more, people are talking about our lithium deposits, which are drawing the attention of the world's major powers. First China, and now the United States."
A glimmer of hope
Located in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Manono was a major mining center in the 20th century. It fell into deep decline starting in 1982, when Belgian managers running the tin operations left, abandoning their opulent homes, processing plants and several massive slag heaps. The once-model city's infrastructure gradually deteriorated, poverty took hold and residents clung to the coltan and cassiterite they could still glean from the old tin-rich quarries.
A miner shows a handful of earth and rock containing cassiterite and coltan, in Manono, DRC, on May 20, 2025. GWENN DUBOURTHOUMIEU
Then, a glimmer of hope reemerged in 2020 when Australian company AVZ Minerals revealed that the city was built atop more than 44 million metric tons of lithium concentrated at 1.65% (16.5 kilograms of ore per metric ton of earth) – the largest known hard-rock lithium reserve in the world. Just as this vital battery component for solar panels, computers, smartphones and electric cars was cementing its essential role in the energy transition, Manono was back on the global negotiating table.
Read more Subscribers only The lithium battle has been revived with $7 billion takeover of American giant Arcadium
China was the first to show interest through the Zijin Mining Group (already present in the DRC, notably at Kamoa-Kakula, the country's largest copper mine, near Kolwezi). Since 2022, the company has signed an operating contract; created a subsidiary called Manono Lithium dedicated to extracting this new "white gold"; started work to refurbish the road leading to the major city of Lubumbashi, 600 kilometers south; and opened another road that will reach Lake Tanganyika at the border with Tanzania, 300 kilometers east. The Chinese company also restored the first turbine at the Mpiana Mwanga hydroelectric plant, which had been idle since 1998, and has begun building a massive industrial complex for extraction.
"We plan to begin operations in June 2026," announced Jian Heyuan, the CEO, from his office set up in a shipping container at the back of the lot where the future administrative and executive buildings will stand. "We will then open the first Congolese lithium extraction project."
A promising deposit
But the US has already been positioning itself to gain access to this promising deposit. After attempting to secure mineral rights in Greenland and then Ukraine during the first months of his new presidential term, Donald Trump suddenly turned his attention to Africa and the "deals" he could strike there. His ambition is clear: to reestablish an American presence in a part of the world where China has rapidly taken hold over the past three decades, in order to secure access to strategic minerals for the US to remain competitive in the energy transition economy.
In Malata, a former workers' area for Géomines and then Zaïre Etain, residents dig even beneath their own homes in search of cassiterite and coltan. As extraction continues, some houses have partially collapsed, putting the families living there at risk. Manono, May 20, 2025. GWENN DUBOURTHOUMIEU
On June 27, Trump scored his first diplomatic success by securing a peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda. For Washington, the terms of the treaty essentially amounted to access to Congolese natural resources, in exchange for diplomatic and security support aimed at ending the 30-year conflict.
This was a first step toward reopening the way for American investment in the now-strategic field of mineral access, as the Manono deposit is one of the main sites targeted by Americans in the DRC (along with the Rubaya coltan mine in North Kivu and the Lobito Corridor, a long railway designed to facilitate mineral exports through Angola's Atlantic coast – in the opposite direction from China).
In May, California-based mining company KoBold Metals announced that it was ready to invest more than $1 billion (about €865 million) to develop lithium extraction in Manono. On July 17, it confirmed this initial commitment by signing a memorandum of understanding to start lithium mining there and, more broadly, to launch a large-scale exploration program in the DRC, using artificial intelligence to identify the best deposits.
At the Manono Mining Office, a dusty room with boarded-up windows, the local representative of the Ministry of Mines, Jean Kimbasenga, tried to remain philosophical. "For now, we're waiting for industrial operations to arrive," said the cheerful man in his 40s, wearing a cowboy hat. "Until they do, unemployment will continue to run rampant."
Corruption and cronyism
Three hundred meters away, at the foot of the cathedral, Father Kiluba was less optimistic. He admitted to being skeptical about government policies, which, he said, "still do not meet the people's expectations, starting with basic infrastructure such as schools, medical care, water, electricity and roads." He also condemned the corruption and cronyism of the country's leaders who, in his view, "clearly favored" the arrival of Zijin Mining. He cited a 2022 report by the General Inspectorate of Finance that condemned the "sell-off" of DRC assets in this transaction. The public institution estimated the loss to the Congolese state at more than $120 million.
In the courtyard of the local radio station Trait d'Union, journalist Dieumerci Kabila (not related to former president Joseph Kabila) was also concerned: "Manono risks being negatively affected by industrial mining. The jobs now being offered by Manono Lithium pay less than the Congolese minimum wage, which is 14,500 francs per day. And the specifications listing the companies' social and environmental commitments to local communities have still not been released, even though they should have been made public over a year ago, according to the mining code. Politicians are seizing all the benefits from mining, while civil society is being shut out."
The race for Congolese lithium is now playing out in a context reminiscent of the 19th-century gold rush, with one key difference: Two superpowers are now vying for control of the world's most strategic minerals.
KentCStrait
Regular
Yes you can buy me some drinks,for my info i have SHARED...!
Some haven't realized yet still talks with the DRC and RWANDA ...WHY...!
Nigel want is just that WANT..!
What he gets is another thing...!...imo
The DRC have not hesitated to give the CHINESE the NORTH with a M L...!..imo
So what stops the south going to the US...MMMMMMMM...imo
Who is that KOJAK and BRUCE having a chat...!...imo
Thanks for sharing, who are the cowards in the corner...imo
Nice pictures...THANKS for that..!
Cumquat Cap
Regular
Leonard did not refute the fact that he is Tolate at this interaction. He is scum of the earth
Mute22
Regular
DRCongo, Rwanda outline deal on mining, economic cooperation — US
A peace agreement reached in June aimed to end decades of conflict in eastern Congo. It was overseen by Washington, which has sought to increase its access to the region's vast mineral wealth.
www.newvision.co.ug
Retrobyte
Hates a beer
Lets all stick with the subject AVZ...imo..!
If no one has seen this out in the last day or SO in the media...!...imo
If no one has seen this out in the last day or SO in the media...!...imo
AVZ boss ‘hell-bent’ on getting best deal for Congo lithium project
Former $4.6bn lithium company’s fate hangs in the balance as US-China tensions escalate over control of a major African minerals project.While KoBold remains the DRC's golden child, and its contract with the DRC to explore and develop the southern part of Manono (Roche Dure) remains in place, alternative bidders may find it difficult getting a foot in the door. Unfortunately, the DRC may block them in order to save face, consolidate the DRC-KoBold deal and further isolate AVZ Minerals.
I do not know the terms of the DRC-KoBold deal, particularly the length of any exclusivity period (if any) where KoBold is shielded from higher offers while it negotiates with AVZ MInerals, but if anyone has that information please advise.
This saga still has a way to run, but Nigel's recent published interview was a watershed moment that will make the DRC thieves and US opportunists rethink their cavalier negotiating strategies. I think it was a great initiative, and Nigel's strong reference to his fiduciary duties deserves respect.
For far too long AVZ has been played because it chose to not comment publicly while making concessions in order to engage with a totally corrupt regime and an intransigent KoBold. Thanks to that article, the situation is changed. Both the DRC and KoBold are on notice that AVZ Minerals' assets are not for sale at fire-sale prices.
Finally, AVZ retains the moral high ground, has DLA Piper in its corner, fully funded ICC and ICSID arbitrations underway, and now a different engagement strategy. Let's see what happens over the next month or so as the DRC's special envoy attempts to untangle this mess and get some clear negotiating air.
Cheers
F
I do not know the terms of the DRC-KoBold deal, particularly the length of any exclusivity period (if any) where KoBold is shielded from higher offers while it negotiates with AVZ MInerals, but if anyone has that information please advise.
This saga still has a way to run, but Nigel's recent published interview was a watershed moment that will make the DRC thieves and US opportunists rethink their cavalier negotiating strategies. I think it was a great initiative, and Nigel's strong reference to his fiduciary duties deserves respect.
For far too long AVZ has been played because it chose to not comment publicly while making concessions in order to engage with a totally corrupt regime and an intransigent KoBold. Thanks to that article, the situation is changed. Both the DRC and KoBold are on notice that AVZ Minerals' assets are not for sale at fire-sale prices.
Finally, AVZ retains the moral high ground, has DLA Piper in its corner, fully funded ICC and ICSID arbitrations underway, and now a different engagement strategy. Let's see what happens over the next month or so as the DRC's special envoy attempts to untangle this mess and get some clear negotiating air.
Cheers
F
Last edited:
But why is mister Pei and a Kobold representative in Perth is the question ?
CATH / Kobold JV may be ?
I suspect that you may be right.
KoBold is pretty-much just an exploration vehicle. Despite being reminded ad-nauseam about its rich-lister members, I doubt its pockets are sufficiently deep to fully fund the purchase and development of Manono, including an hydroxide or carbonate plant.
A three-way tie-up that spreads the funding load seems sensible.
(Pei apparently has 60% ownership of CATH. That's why he's there too).
Cheers
F
Last edited:
Hodlandwin69
Regular
Seems unlikely to me if USA concerned about China's dominance to then go into partnership with them. Especially Trump's anti-china stance.
Mr Pei and Kobold are in Perth because Mr Pei is trying to protect his investment. Although some news articles are somewhat hyperbole, it really is China vs USA, AVZ is the dealer and caught in the middle in a 3 way, hopefully they (we) enjoy it
Skar
Regular
To me what is interesting is AVZ/Manono is on very few peoples radar. I would consider these guys to be the most mainstream lithium voice and absolute FA about it. They even talked about M&A and didn't mention kobold.
Would be good to see revised figures from AVZ. Would be better if DRC just granted the ML.
Would be good to see revised figures from AVZ. Would be better if DRC just granted the ML.
Skar
Regular
America is built on hypocrisy, ideals are to keep the masses in line. The decision makers and captains of industry are the ones who sell/sold out their ideals time and time again. So 100% yes I think parts of USA, the big unwieldy machine that it is, would partner with China for a dollar or two.
Heck all other things being equal, I would vote to sell Manono to China over USA for as little as a 5-10% premium in the shareprice and if security and assurances were in place I would probably prefer to side with China to get Manono developed if that was an options still (as they are just much more efficient and experienced in getting shit done case in point: DRC corruption hasn't even slowed them down but its completely crippled us - its not a level playing field). The problem with China is they don't play fair, they can easily bully and throw their weight around, even to partners.
Its only recently with this minerals for peace deal that USA are starting to throw their weight around... they got a LONG road to negate China influence and ability to get in and get shit done.
Similar threads
