With one of the industry’s most varied and cutting-edge portfolios, Premier African Minerals Limited prepares for a landmark new project
An emerging producer of spodumene and other commodities, Premier African Minerals, continues to take innovative steps toward the future of metal and mineral mining. Its history began 17 years ago, with founders and current CEO, George Roach, and Exploration Manager, Bruce Cumming. Establishing the business took curiosity, strategy, and experience, as George recalls: “At the time the business was founded, I was on a mission to acquire new exploration licenses in interesting locations across Africa. We were looking for a wide range of new commodities and didn’t want to limit ourselves in any way. It took quite a bit of work to get a foothold in the industry, working across West Africa from our office in Togo. Once the business was more established, and we’d zeroed in on the areas we thought would be most profitable – Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and so on – we were able to put down roots.
“At that time, we had several properties in Benin and its surrounding areas, so it was important that we expand our footprint. I chose Zimbabwe because I’m familiar with its anglophone culture. In addition, the legislation around mineral extraction is well known and easy to understand, making it an ideal next step for the business. The region does have a high-risk profile, according to other companies in our industry, but my personal experience had always suggested that this reputation was overstated.
“Having weighed up our options, it was decided in 2007 that we would acquire various properties across Zimbabwe and its surrounding countries. The next step was to identify interesting materials that were prevalent across the region and start building a portfolio. From there, the company steadily built up its property network. In 2012, we launched the Zulu project, which boosted our visibility and accelerated growth throughout the 2010s and beyond.
“At the time, Zulu was viewed primarily as an industrial minerals project. We were looking to produce high-grade spodumene for industrial mineral purposes, specifically for applications in the specialized glass production industry. However, we also discovered lithium deposits that turned out to have greater profit potential.
“We’ve had a number of successful projects since then. The RHA tungsten extraction operation in Zimbabwe, for instance, helped broaden the variety found in our mineral portfolio. Currently, we’re in the final stages of launching our latest operation, which is always an exciting point to be at. Overall, it’s been a really interesting journey spanning a number of years, and there’s still much more to discover.”
Strategic support
Maintaining success in the mining world requires a robust and reliable support network. As George discusses: “Our supplier relationships are vital to the operation remaining successful. Over time, we’ve tailored our supplier network to our specific needs and built longstanding, positive relationships with each vendor in our supply chain. The procurement division is primarily responsible for selecting the suppliers — they prioritize consistency, communication, timeliness, and reliability.
“Business partnerships like the one we have with UCP, for example, are essential. It’s paramount that we can rely on our suppliers, and we’re very lucky to have them as part of the Premier African Minerals family.”
Nearly two decades in the making, Premier African Minerals now has a presence in various locations across Zimbabwe and beyond. As George details: “When we first started this business, we didn’t fully comprehend the vast range of critical metals and materials that we could extract and merge. But, as time went on, we found ourselves in a very interesting situation. We’ve moved on from the well-known materials, and moved into a whole range of different substances, some of which are more in-keeping with market trends.
“With the significant improvement in the price of APT, RHA tungsten will become a more significant component in our projects. Tungsten has a huge variety of applications. Then there’s the manganese operation, which the business is involved in alongside some other key partners. In addition, we’re always looking to expand our horizons, so there’s a number of exploration properties on our radar.
“It’s been particularly difficult to break into this current market for several reasons. Mines tend to be smaller these days, with more simplified processes. If we want to maintain our market share, we need to investigate areas where big companies can’t chase us out. In the grand scheme of things, we are not a huge operation. It takes a lot of investment for companies like us to really get their teeth into a project and bring it to fruition, but if you can do it, it makes a statement. That’s what we’re doing now.”
Rooted in community
The work Premier African Minerals does is interwoven with local communities and cultures. The company prides itself on hiring locally and furthers its reach through education and community outreach programs. As George asserts: “Zimbabwe has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa, which supports our local hiring practices. We can find skilled laborers throughout the region. Education systems are good, and that sets the foundation for us to provide our people with pathways toward professional development and growth. Within our teams, the work ethic is incredibly high. We rarely face issues when it comes to language differences, as everyone learns enough to communicate with others.
“Our Zimbabwean operations are fully staffed by Zimbabweans. At our Zulu project we have a around 250 people with not one single expat, especially in general management and beyond. We want to stimulate local economies and reduce unemployment rates wherever possible. In addition, we take a lot of safeguarding measures. Although there is accommodation on site, we encourage staff to find homes in local communities. Alongside that, we provide opportunities for professional development, teaching promising individuals industry-specific skills that can take them even further.”
Hiring locally keeps Premier African Minerals’ projects robust and self-sustaining, allowing the company to branch out into new ventures. “Project Zulu is currently under production, and I think it’s going to be a very significant turning point for the business. Our aim is to become a revenue generative company, as opposed to one that has continued to grow through investment. We have now grown to the point that it’s time to reap our rewards,” George concludes.