Africa Rare Earth: Key Deposits & Companies

Africa rare earth countries collectively hold some of the world’s largest undeveloped neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) and heavy rare earth element (HREE) resources, yet no African nation currently produces rare earths at commercial scale comparable to China or Australia. This ranking assesses each country’s REE endowment, active project pipeline, government policy environment, and realistic near-term contribution to Western supply chain diversification. Rankings reflect verified project status as of May 2026 and will be updated when material developments occur.

For project-level detail, see our Top 10 Rare Earth Projects in Africa. For country and regional context, see our Africa rare earth hub. For pricing context underpinning project economics, see our neodymium price and dysprosium price tracker pages.

How We Ranked the Top 10 Africa Rare Earth Countries

Countries are ranked using combined weighting across five criteria: confirmed total rare earth oxide (TREO) resource size, number of active and advanced-stage projects, current development status, government policy environment for foreign mining investment, and strategic importance to non-Chinese supply chain diversification. A country with a construction-stage project and resolved government relations ranks above one with larger deposits but prohibitive jurisdiction risk. All operational status claims have been verified via live search at the time of writing.

1. Angola — Construction Underway, 2027 Production Target

Angola takes the top position in this ranking of Africa rare earth countries on the strength of a transformation at the Longonjo NdPr project that has occurred since late 2024. Main construction is now well underway, on budget, and aligned with a 2027 commissioning target, with permanent power, water, telecoms, and site security infrastructure installed and commissioned during 2025. Pensana (LSE: PRE) raised $100 million in December 2025, with Angola’s sovereign wealth fund subsidiary holding approximately 29.2% of issued share capital following staged loan conversion. Stage 1 production targets 20,000 tonnes per year of mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC), scaling to 40,000 tpa by 2029 over a 20-year mine life. An offtake agreement with Vacuumschmelze (VAC) — a German permanent magnet manufacturer — routes MREC to VAC’s eVAC Magnetics factory in South Carolina, bypassing Chinese processing. Angola’s Lobito Corridor rail link to the Atlantic provides logistics credibility no other African REE project at this development stage can match.

2. Tanzania — World-Class Deposit, Chinese Ownership From 2025

Tanzania holds the most significant rare earth deposit pipeline on the continent by resource scale. The Ngualla project — a carbonatite NdPr deposit in the Songwe Region — contains a measured and indicated resource exceeding 214 million tonnes at 4.8% TREO in the Bastnäsite Hill zone, ranking among the world’s largest undeveloped NdPr deposits. However, ownership changed materially in 2025: Peak Rare Earths was acquired by China’s Shenghe Resources, with shareholders receiving cash payments by September 2025. As of May 2026, no construction start date or production timeline for Ngualla has been confirmed under the new ownership. Shenghe held binding offtake rights to 100% of rare earth concentrate from Ngualla prior to the acquisition, meaning Ngualla’s contribution to Western supply chain diversification is now uncertain. Secondary deposits including Wigu Hill add further resource depth. See our Tanzania rare earth guide for country-level detail.

3. Madagascar — Suspension Lifted, Feasibility Study Confirms World-Class Economics

Madagascar’s ranking rises sharply following a complete reversal of the regulatory position that had constrained this entry since 2019. The government-imposed suspension on development was lifted in November 2024 following Energy Fuels’ (NYSE: UUUU) acquisition of Base Resources. A memorandum of understanding outlining key fiscal terms was signed with the government in December 2024, and the project has been renamed Vara Mada. An updated feasibility study published in January 2026 confirmed a $1.8 billion NPV and an initially modelled 38-year mine life, with monazite concentrate feeding Energy Fuels’ White Mesa Mill rare earth circuit in Utah. Vara Mada produces high-grade monazite as a co-product of heavy mineral sands mining — a lower capital intensity route to REE production than hard-rock carbonatite development. Permitting of monazite recovery under the existing mining licence remains in progress; FID timing is subject to that process completing. Madagascar moves from the bottom of the previous version of this ranking to #3 on the strength of project scale, resolved government relations, and an operational downstream processor ready to receive concentrate.

4. South Africa — Established Jurisdiction, Multiple Project Vectors

South Africa’s rare earth credentials rest on two distinct asset types. Steenkampskraal in the Western Cape holds one of the highest-grade REE deposits globally at approximately 14.4% TREO average; restart permitting under Steenkampskraal Thorium Limited remains in progress. The Glenover carbonatite in Limpopo adds a second significant hard-rock resource. More immediately, Rainbow Rare Earths’ (LSE: RBW) Phalaborwa project — a gypsum stack retreatment operation in Limpopo — has a JORC-compliant mineral resource of 35 million tonnes at 0.44% TREO, with a DFS underway and US government backing secured via the Development Finance Corporation. Phalaborwa produces NdPr oxide and a SEG+ mixed rare earth carbonate including dysprosium and terbium. South Africa’s pre-existing mining infrastructure, established legal framework, and port access at Richards Bay and Cape Town give it logistical advantages no other African REE jurisdiction can match. See our South Africa rare earth guide.

5. Malawi — DFS Complete, EU Strategic Project Status Secured

Malawi’s position strengthens considerably on updated project data. An updated definitive feasibility study for Mkango Resources’ (AIM/TSX-V: MKA) Songwe Hill project was published in March 2026, confirming a post-tax NPV of approximately $339 million at a 10% discount rate, an IRR of 24%, and a payback period of 3.4 years from the start of full production. Both Songwe and Mkango’s proposed Puławy rare earth separation plant in Poland have been designated Strategic Projects under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. Mkango has also confidentially filed a draft Form F-4 with the SEC in connection with a proposed NASDAQ listing via SPAC merger, adding a US capital markets dimension. A mining development agreement with the Malawian government was signed in July 2024. Songwe’s integrated mine-to-oxide model — with European downstream separation at Puławy — gives it strategic differentiation that pure mining plays lack. Infrastructure constraints from Malawi’s landlocked geography remain the primary execution risk. Kangankunde, one of the historically highest-grade carbonatite REE deposits on record, remains undeveloped and adds further resource optionality. See our Malawi rare earth guide.

6. Uganda — HREE Ionic Clay, DFS Stage

Uganda’s ranking reflects the strategic importance of the Makuutu ionic clay HREE deposit held by Ionic Rare Earths (ASX: IXR). Makuutu is one of the largest ionic clay HREE deposits outside China, enriched in dysprosium and terbium — the magnet rare earths most critical to defence and EV applications and currently the fastest-rising elements by price. A definitive feasibility study was ongoing as of early 2026. Ionic clay deposits process at lower temperatures than hard-rock carbonatites, offering potential capital and operating cost advantages. The Ugandan government has signalled active support for foreign investment in critical minerals. Execution risk remains: ionic clay processing at commercial scale outside China has limited precedent. See our Uganda rare earth guide.

7. Mozambique — REE Credits From Heavy Mineral Sands

Mozambique’s rare earth exposure comes primarily through monazite credits within heavy mineral sands operations rather than dedicated REE projects. The Corridor Sands area hosts significant HMS tenements where REE-bearing monazite is a co-product alongside titanium and zircon. Infrastructure investment linked to the LNG sector has improved logistics in the north. REE extraction from Mozambican monazite remains secondary to base HMS economics, but the resource base and improving infrastructure create a credible medium-term contribution. See our Mozambique rare earth guide.

8. Burundi — High-Grade Deposit, Operations Suspended Since 2021

Correction note: The previous version of this article incorrectly described Gakara as an operating mine. This has been corrected. Gakara has been on care and maintenance since June 2021 at the request of the Government of Burundi, and the asset has been fully written down in Rainbow Rare Earths’ (LSE: RBW) accounts. As of the company’s interim results for the six months to December 2025, operations remain on care and maintenance with costs budgeted through June 2027 at $0.2 million — reflecting minimal holding spend only. Rainbow’s active development focus has shifted to Phalaborwa in South Africa and Uberaba in Brazil. Gakara’s geology remains high-grade — among the richest vein-type REE deposits globally — but no production timeline exists under the current government impasse. Country risk is elevated.

9. Namibia — Premium Jurisdiction, Early-Stage Exploration

Namibia consistently ranks among Africa’s most transparent and mining-friendly jurisdictions — a meaningful differentiator in a continent where political risk frequently discounts otherwise strong geology. Several carbonatite complexes host early-stage REE tenements, but no project had reached advanced feasibility stage as of May 2026. Namibia’s strengths — infrastructure, legal certainty, port access at Walvis Bay, and an experienced mining workforce — mean that confirmed significant resources would advance faster here than in most peer jurisdictions. A watch position for investors.

10. Democratic Republic of Congo — Geological Potential, Investability Constraints

The DRC hosts significant REE occurrences across Katanga and the Kivu provinces, with ionic clay potential that remains largely underexplored. The country’s extraordinary mineral endowment — the world’s largest cobalt reserves, significant copper, coltan, and gold — means REE has attracted limited dedicated exploration capital. Country risk, artisanal mining complexity, infrastructure deficits, and regulatory opacity dominate the investment narrative. Geological potential is real; near-term contribution to Western supply chains is not.

Africa Rare Earth Countries — Summary Comparison

The Outlook for Africa Rare Earth Countries

Angola’s Longonjo is the continent’s only construction-stage rare earth project as of May 2026, with a credible 2027 commissioning target backed by $100 million in financing and a US-aligned offtake structure. Madagascar’s Vara Mada, following resolution of its five-year regulatory impasse, represents the largest potential REE volume from Africa — subject to FID. Tanzania’s Ngualla remains the continent’s largest NdPr resource by grade and scale, but Shenghe’s acquisition raises material questions about its availability to Western supply chains. Uganda’s Makuutu is the continent’s most significant HREE opportunity, with dysprosium and terbium grades that would be strategically important to magnet supply chains if the DFS supports a positive construction decision. For a global comparison, see our Top 10 Rare Earth Producing Countries ranking.

Data sources: USGS National Minerals Information Center; company investor presentations and NI 43-101 / JORC resource statements cited per entry. Resource figures reflect latest available public disclosures as of May 2026 and are subject to revision. This article was updated on 14 May 2026 to correct factual errors in the Burundi, Angola, Tanzania, Malawi, and Madagascar entries identified following reader feedback. Original publication date: 9 May 2026.