Mineral intelligence
Uranium mining assets in Africa
Uranium demand is set by reactor construction and by policy, and both have turned in its favour after a long period in which neither did.
STRATUM does not yet publish verified uranium assets. Intelligence on this mineral is gathered continuously, and members are notified as assets clear verification.
What members see
Grades and assay results, resource and reserve estimates, evidence provenance, deal structure, infrastructure and power, and the geospatial layer. Identity of the operator is released only to compliance-cleared members on an approved request.
Uranium mining: uses, market and Africa’s position
What uranium is
Uranium is mined conventionally from sandstone and unconformity hosted deposits, recovered in situ by leaching where the geology allows, and produced as a by-product of some copper and gold operations. Output is sold as uranium oxide concentrate, U3O8, commonly called yellowcake.
What uranium is used for
Nuclear power
Effectively the only commercial use. Enriched uranium fuels the reactor fleet that supplies a significant share of the world's low carbon baseload electricity.
Medical isotopes
Small volumes for diagnostic and therapeutic isotope production.
Naval propulsion
Highly enriched fuel for naval reactors, a state controlled market entirely separate from the commercial one.
Uranium market outlook
Nuclear has moved from managed decline to expansion in much of the world, driven by energy security concerns and by decarbonisation targets that are difficult to meet without baseload. Life extensions, new construction and small modular reactor programmes all add demand against a supply base that contracted sharply during the years when prices were too low to justify development.
Uranium in Africa
Namibia and Niger are established uranium producers of world significance. South Africa produces uranium as a by-product of gold mining, and further resources are known across the continent.
What to check on a uranium asset
For a uranium asset, grade, deposit type and amenability to in situ recovery are the technical questions, since in situ leaching is dramatically cheaper than conventional mining where it works. The overriding question is regulatory: uranium is subject to export controls and international safeguards, so permitting and offtake approval are the real gate, not the geology.