Canadian mining firm, Mkango Resources Limited, has revealed that it has been granted a new Exclusive Prospecting License for mineral exploration in Mchinji District. According to a statement by Mkango, the Mchinji license covers an area of 868.69 Km2 and is adjacent to licences with known mineral potential including the company’s Chimimbe Hill nickel-cobalt license to the south.

Terms of the licence include three years to explore, which it could be renewed twice for further two-year periods with a 50% reduction in the license size required with each renewal. The firm has said it will explore through evaluation of all historical data over the Mchinji licence area for exploration targets in the context of geophysical data produced by a countrywide airborne survey completed by the World Bank in 2016.

Mkango President, Alexander Lemon, expressed delight in the development, attributing the exploration to a closer relationship with Malawi. “We are delighted to have been granted the Mchinji exploration licence, which strengthens the company’s strategic licence position in Malawi.” said Lemon.