Mkango Receives ESHIA Approval for the Songwe Hill Rare Earths Project
Mkango Receives ESHIA Approval for the Songwe Hill Rare Earths Project
LONDON and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 26, 2023 -- Mkango Resources Ltd. (AIM/TSX-V: MKA) (the “Company” or
“Mkango”) is very pleased to announce that the Malawi Environmental Protection Agency (“MEPA”) has approved the
Environmental Social Health Impact Assessment (“ESHIA”) for Mkango’s flagship Songwe Hill Rare Earths Project (“Songwe
Hill”) in the Phalombe district of Malawi.
The approval of the ESHIA is a significant milestone in the Mining Development Agreement (“MDA”) approval process, it is a
fundamental requirement for the Company to be granted a mining licence and is expected to unlock significant stakeholder
value and future investment for the development of Sub-Saharan Africa’s first large scale, commercial rare earth mining and
processing operation in Malawi.
Mkango President Mr Alexander Lemon stated;
“The approval of the ESHIA for the Songwe Hill Rare Earths project is a major achievement for Mkango and Malawi’s first rare
earth mining project. We would like to thank the Malawian government for their ongoing cooperation and support and the
Malawi Environmental Protection Agency for their advice and support during the ESHIA engagement, review and approval
process. We look forward to the Mining Licence and MDA being approved in the coming weeks.
“The Malawi Ministry of Justice has appointed a London based international law firm with mining expertise to carry out a final
review of the Mining Development Agreement (“MDA”) and we are hoping to shortly conclude an agreement that is a win-win for
both the Nation of Malawi and all of Mkango’s stakeholders.”
The ESHIA was undertaken by Digby Wells Environmental Limited ( https://www.digbywells.com/about-digby-wells/) in
compliance with the latest International Finance Corporation (“IFC”) Performance Standards and the Malawi Environmental
Management Act, No. 19 of 2017.
Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure
The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated
under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014 ('MAR') which has been incorporated into UK law by the European
Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. Upon the publication of this announcement via Regulatory Information Service, this inside
information is now considered to be in the public domain.
About Mkango Resources Limited
Mkango's corporate strategy is to develop new sustainable primary and secondary sources of neodymium, praseodymium,
dysprosium and terbium to supply accelerating demand from electric vehicles, wind turbines and other clean technologies.
This integrated Mine, Refine, Recycle strategy differentiates Mkango from its peers, uniquely positioning the Company in the
rare earths sector.
Mkango is developing Songwe Hill in Malawi with a Feasibility Study completed in July 2022. Malawi is known as "The Warm
Heart of Africa", a stable democracy with existing road, rail and power infrastructure, and new infrastructure developments
underway.
In parallel, Mkango and Grupa Azoty PULAWY, Poland's leading chemical company and the second largest manufacturer of
nitrogen and compound fertilizers in the European Union, have agreed to work together towards development of a rare earth
Separation Plant at Pulawy in Poland (the “Pulawy Separation Plant”). The Pulawy Separation Plant will process the purified
mixed rare earth carbonate produced at Songwe Hill.
Through its ownership of Maginito ( www.maginito.com), Mkango is also developing green technology opportunities in the rare
earths supply chain, encompassing neodymium (NdFeB) magnet recycling as well as innovative rare earth alloy, magnet, and
separation technologies. Maginito holds a 42% interest in UK rare earth (NdFeB) magnet recycler, HyProMag
(www.hypromag.com) with an option to increase its interest to 49%.
Mkango also has an extensive exploration portfolio in Malawi, including the Mchinji rutile exploration project, the Thambani
uranium-tantalum-niobium-zircon project and Chimimbe nickel-cobalt project.
For more information, please visit www.mkango.ca
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of that term under applicable securities laws) with
respect to Mkango. Generally, forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects” or
“is expected to”, “scheduled”, “estimates” “intends”, “anticipates”, “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases, or
statements that certain actions, events or results “can”, “may”, “could”, “would”, “should”, “might” or “will”, occur or be
achieved, or the negative connotations thereof. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking
statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. By
their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both
general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking
statements will not occur, which may cause actual performance and results in future periods to differ materially from any
estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such
factors and risks include, without limiting the foregoing, governmental action relating to COVID-19, COVID-19 and other market
effects on global demand and pricing for the metals and associated downstream products for which Mkango is exploring,
researching and developing, factors relating the development of Mkango rare earths recycling capability and the Pulawy
Separation Plant, including the outcome and timing of the completion of the feasibility studies, cost overruns, complexities in
building and operating recycling and separation plants, changes in economics and government regulation, and delays in
obtaining financing or governmental approvals for, and the impact of environmental and other regulations relating to, Songwe
and the recycling and separation plants. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the
date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to
update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as
required by applicable law. Additionally, the Company undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or
statements made by, third parties in respect of the matters discussed above.
For further information on Mkango, please contact:
Mkango Resources Limited
William Dawes Alexander Lemon
Chief Executive Officer President
[email protected] [email protected]
Canada: +1 403 444 5979
www.mkango.ca
@MkangoResources
BlytheRay
Financial Public Relations
Tim Blythe
UK: +44 207 138 3204
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP
Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker
Jeff Keating, Caroline Rowe
UK: +44 20 3470 0470
Alternative Resource Capital
Joint Broker
Alex Wood, Keith Dowsing
UK: +44 20 7186 9004/5
The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX
Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any equity or other securities of the
Company in the United States. The securities of the Company will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and may not be offered or sold within the United States to, or for the account or
benefit of, U.S. persons except in certain transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act.