STRATUM Journal
Intelligence & insight on African strategic assets
Analysis on critical minerals, mining regulation, project finance and commodity markets, from the team building Africa's strategic-asset intelligence infrastructure.
Mining Due Diligence in Ghana: What Investors Must Know for 2026
Ghana's mining sector is entering 2026 with significant earnings momentum, but capturing that upside demands rigorous due diligence across technical, regulatory and financial dimensions. Here is what serious investors need to assess before committing capital.
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Mining Due Diligence Zimbabwe: What a $5 M Deal Reveals
A recently reported $5 million commitment into Zimbabwe's base-metals sector puts the spotlight on the due-diligence frameworks that separate disciplined investors from those who learn expensive lessons. Here is what the deal reveals — and what every investor entering the country's mining sector should know.
Gold Price Discovery: How Raw Gold Owners Can Respond to China
China's expanding control over gold pricing mechanisms is raising urgent questions for junior miners and raw gold asset holders worldwide. Here is what the shift means — and what owners of verified gold resources can do about it right now.
Mining Due Diligence: When Officials Go Rogue
A senior Ghanaian government official caught operating illegal mining concessions has sent a sobering signal across the investment community. The episode is a masterclass in why verified, independent due diligence is non-negotiable before capital enters any West African mining deal.
NI 43-101 vs JORC Africa: Choosing the Right Reporting Standard
For African mining projects seeking international capital, the choice between NI 43-101 and JORC is rarely just technical — it shapes which investors take you seriously and how quickly deals close. Here is what project owners and their advisers need to know.
Mining Indaba: Why One Week in Cape Town Moves a Continent's Mining Capital
Mining Indaba concentrates Africa's mining capital into one February week in Cape Town. What actually happens there and how deals really form.
Small-Scale Mining in Africa: From Informal Digs to Licensed Assets
Small scale mining employs millions across Africa. How artisan miners formalize, and how a mining lease or exploration license changes asset value.
NI 43-101, JORC and the Language of Mining Proof
What an NI 43-101 report or JORC-compliant resource certifies, how feasibility studies and valuations work, and African mining due diligence.
African Mining Assets for Sale: How Serious Deals Actually Work
African mining assets for sale range from raw licences to producing mines. How verified deal-flow works and how buyers avoid paper projects.
Rare Earth Minerals in Africa: The Magnet Metals Come to Market
Rare earth minerals in Africa, across Angola, Malawi, Tanzania, South Africa and Uganda, are moving from footnote to funded. The uses, the magnets and the map.
Nickel Mining in Africa: The Next Sulphide Frontier
Nickel mining in Africa: Tanzania's Kabanga, Madagascar's producer and Southern Africa's by-product base, the uses of nickel and the class-1 battery race.
Manganese Mining in Africa: The Reserves Superpower Nobody Talks About
Manganese mining in Africa: South Africa's Kalahari field holds the world's largest reserves, while Gabon and Ghana add grade. The uses and the assets.
Graphite Mining in Africa: The Quiet Anode Opportunity
Graphite mining in Africa, across Mozambique, Madagascar and Tanzania, supplies the battery anode market outside China. The uses, the countries and the assets.
Battery Minerals in Africa: The Full Supply Map
Battery minerals in Africa: lithium, cobalt, graphite, manganese, nickel and rare earths, every mineral in the EV battery, mapped by country.
Diamond Mining in Africa: Where Gem Value Still Concentrates
Diamond mining in Africa: Botswana's benchmark, Angola's rise, South Africa's engineering and Namibia's marine fleet, plus uses, ethics and where value sits.
Platinum Mining in Africa: The Closest Thing to a Monopoly
Platinum mining in Africa is a near-monopoly of the Bushveld and Zimbabwe's Great Dyke, with hydrogen demand forming. The uses, the countries and the assets.
Copper Mining in Africa: The Electrification Trade
Copper mining in Africa: the DRC's high grades, Zambia's re-expansion and Botswana's emerging belt, plus what copper is used for in the electrification era.
Cobalt Mining in Africa: One Country's Dominance, a Continent's Opening
Cobalt mining in Africa: the DRC's dominance, Zambia and Morocco's rise, what cobalt is used for, and why verified supply earns the premium.
Lithium Mining in Africa: Mapping the Battery Decade
Lithium mining in Africa: Zimbabwe's anchor, Namibia, Mali, the DRC's giant and West Africa's frontier, plus what lithium is actually used for, and why.
Gold Mining in Africa: The Complete Investor's Map
Gold mining in Africa spans Ghana, South Africa, Mali, Tanzania and rising Nigeria. Producers, reserves, uses of gold and verified assets, mapped.