NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS MAJOR REFORMS AND UNTAPPED POTENTIAL IN KENYA’S MINING SECTOR

A comprehensive new industry overview released by OilNews Kenya sheds light on transformative reforms, mapping achievements, and fresh investment opportunities emerging across Kenya’s mining sector.

Overseen by the Ministry for Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs, Kenya is aggressively advancing policy changes to expand the extractive industry’s contribution to 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030. A key driver of this strategy was the 2019 mining moratorium, which allowed the government to reorganize the sector and execute the Kenya Nationwide Airborne Geophysical Survey. The survey uncovered 970 mineral occurrences nationwide, spanning precious metals, base metals, and industrial deposits.

Following these findings, the Cabinet initiated a phased lifting of the moratorium in October 2023 for construction and industrial minerals such as limestone, granite, gypsum, and gold. Conversely, critical energy transition and high-value minerals including coltan, copper, lithium, niobium, rare earth elements, and radioactive minerals have been classified as strategic minerals. Mining rights and dealings for strategic assets are now processed under a strict, case-by-case regulatory framework.

To foster sustainable economic growth, the government is prioritizing the formalization of artisanal miners into marketing cooperatives, establishing designated mineral trading centers to combat middlemen exploitation, and enforcing strict legal penalties against mineral smuggling. Value addition is also gaining momentum through localized infrastructure projects, including the refurbished Voi Gemstone Centre, the Kakamega Gold Refinery, and regional mineral testing laboratories.

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To dive deeper into county-by-county mineral maps, licensing guidelines, policy frameworks, and market analysis, you can purchase the complete report from the OilNews Kenya shop: https://www.oilnewskenya.com/index.php/shop/