This surface applies the Component E gate-and-floors framework — G1 ESIA/ESMS (IFC PS1), G2 resettlement (PS5), G3 FPIC (PS7), G4 tailings/GISTM, G5 critical habitat (PS6) — at screening depth across a cohort of development- and production-stage African critical-minerals assets. It is built for the question a DFI or an EBRD junior-mining officer actually asks first: which gates are relevant on this asset, and which are demonstrated on the public record? Screening depth means each gate carries a state and a sourced basis, but not the full per-component decomposition of a fully-worked asset. Two assets (Kabanga, and Loulo-Gounkoto on the methodology page) are worked in full; the other seven are screened, spanning lithium, graphite, copper, rutile and nickel across Ghana, Mali, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique and Botswana. Each asset additionally carries a bankability marker (DFS post-tax NPV8 and initial capital), so the cohort can be read on safeguards and economics together — the two questions a junior-mining DFI or EBRD officer pairs. Nothing is imputed: where a relevant gate is not on the record it reads Absent (flagged), not a mid-value.
| Asset | Stage | G1 ESIA/ESMS | G2 Resettle | G3 FPIC | G4 Tailings/GISTM | G5 Crit-habitat | Bankability (NPV8 / capex) · financing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kabanga Tanzania · Ni-Cu-Co |
Pre-FID | Met S | Partial S | N/A | Met S | Partial S | NPV8 US$1.58bn / capex US$942m (IRR 23.3%). DFC E&S DD complete; IFC/AfDB framework-mapped. Fully worked → |
| Ewoyaa Ghana · Li (Atlantic/Elevra) |
Lease ratified Mar 2026; pre-construction | Met S | Partial S | N/A | Absent | Partial S | DFS NPV8 ≈US$1.5bn / capex ≈US$185m (IRR 105%; 2023 Li pricing — see caveat). Piedmont/Elevra earn-in + offtake; funding window open post-ratification |
| Kasiya Malawi · rutile + graphite (Sovereign) |
DFS complete Q1 2026; pre-licence | Partial S | Partial S | N/A | Partial S | Partial S | DFS NPV8 ≈US$2.2bn / capex ≈US$727m (≈3.0x). IFC potential lender + co-lead arranger, integrating PS into DFS/ESIA; Rio Tinto tech committee |
| Lindi Jumbo Tanzania · graphite (Walkabout) |
Construction complete; commissioning 2024 | Met S | Partial | N/A | Partial S | Partial | DFS NPV US$197m / capex US$27.8m (IRR 119%; now producing). Gemcorp debt (first foreign debt into TZ mining in 20 yrs) |
| Balama Mozambique · graphite (Syrah / Twigg) |
Operating; 2025 force-majeure restart | Met S | Met S | N/A | Partial S | Partial | Operating — 350 ktpa, 110 Mt @ 16% C, ~50 yr. DFC US$150m loan @ 4.61% to 2037 (first DFC graphite loan). PS4 security context — see basis |
| Goulamina Mali · lithium (Ganfeng 65% / Mali 35%) |
Producing (Dec 2024) | Met S | Partial | N/A | Partial S | Partial | DFS IRR 83% (Jun 2021, @ US$978/t spodumene); Stage 1 506 ktpa SC6, 21–23 yr. Producing; Ganfeng paid US$342.7m for the final 40% |
| Motheo Botswana · copper (Sandfire) |
Operating (May 2023); A4 expansion | Met S | Partial | Partial | Partial S | Partial | DFS capex US$259m; 3.2→5.2 Mtpa, ~30→50 ktpa Cu, 12.5 yr+. Operating; PS7 relevance not excludable — see basis |
S = the gate state is anchored to a named, dated primary or trade-press-reported issuer disclosure (basis below). A pill without S is a screening-level Derived read pending a primary. Absent means the gate is relevant but its evidence is not on the public record — a flag, not a low score.
Resource & ownership: Ore reserve 25.6 Mt @ 1.22% Li₂O; resource 36.8 Mt @ 1.24% Li₂O (JORC, Jul 2024). Atlantic Lithium (operator), with Piedmont Lithium (now Elevra Lithium) as funding-and-offtake earn-in partner (US$103m); Mining Lease ratified Mar 2026; 2.7 Mtpa, 3.6 Mt spodumene concentrate over 12 yr. [Sourced: Atlantic Lithium DFS Jun 2023; MRE update Jul 2024]
G1 Met (Sourced): Ghana EPA granted an Environmental Permit on the Mine and Process Environmental Impact Statement, with the final EIS incorporating two community public hearings (Ewoyaa, Krofu; Feb + Jun 2024); Mine Operating Permit, Land Use Certificate and Water Use Permit also secured; mining lease ratified by Parliament Mar 2026. G2 Partial: land acquisition in the catchment communities is relevant; community consultation documented via the EPA hearings; a formal RAP / livelihood-restoration record is not on the public surface. G3 N/A: no IFC PS7-qualifying Indigenous Peoples. G4 Absent: a hard-rock spodumene operation generates process tailings (gate relevant), but facility-specific GISTM-level conformance is not on the record for this pre-construction junior. G5 Partial: the EPA-approved EIS addresses biodiversity; no critical-habitat trigger is noted; an IBAT determination is not on the record. Bankability: DFS (Jun 2023) post-tax NPV8 ≈ US$1.5bn, IRR ≈ 105%, payback ≈ 19 months, capex ≈ US$185m, LOM revenue ≈ US$6.6bn over 12 years (2.7 Mtpa). An updated DFS (Nov 2023) showed post-tax NPV8 ≈ US$1.3bn. Both at 2023 spodumene pricing — a lender would haircut against today's subdued lithium market.
Sources: Global Mining Review (EPA permit, Sep 2024); Mining Weekly / Mining-Technology (lease ratification, Mar 2026); Atlantic Lithium project disclosures; Carnegie Endowment community analysis (2025).
Resource & ownership: Probable reserve 538 Mt @ 1.03% rutile + 1.66% TGC (5.5 Mt rutile + 8.9 Mt graphite); resource 1.8 Bt @ 1.01% rutile / 1.32% graphite (17.9 Mt rutile + 24.4 Mt graphite) — the world’s largest rutile and second-largest flake-graphite resource. Sovereign Metals, with Rio Tinto a strategic shareholder (~19%) holding an option to assume operatorship. [Sourced: Sovereign Metals DFS Apr 2026 — 538 Mt Probable Reserve (30% of resource), pre-tax NPV₈ US$2.2bn / post-tax US$1.07–1.45bn (Malawian fiscal terms unresolved); supersedes the Sept 2023 PFS]
G1 Partial (Sourced): the ESIA is being undertaken to meet Malawian regulation plus the IFC Performance Standards, WB EHS Guidelines and Equator Principles, with the IFC (World Bank Group) supporting integration of its Performance Standards into the DFS and ESIA; baseline specialist studies were complete by Q1 2026, but the ESIA is not yet submitted (the mining-licence critical-path item). G2 Partial: agricultural-land displacement is relevant; a multi-year rehabilitation/conservation-farming programme and closure plans feed the IFC-aligned ESIA; the formal RAP sits inside the in-progress ESIA. G3 N/A. G4 Partial: hydro-mining of soft surface material with progressive backfill gives a low conventional-TSF profile (a process water dam and graphite-flotation residue are present); a GISTM-scale facility is not the dominant modality and conformance is not yet on the record. G5 Partial: agricultural / modified landscape; the ESIA biodiversity baseline is complete; no critical-habitat trigger; IBAT not on record. Bankability: DFS pre-tax NPV8 ≈ US$2.2bn against ≈ US$727m initial capital (≈3.0x).
Sources: Crux Investor / Proactive Investors (IFC collaboration, ESIA integration, rehabilitation trials, 2026); Sovereign Metals DFS disclosures (Q1 2026).
Resource & ownership: P+P reserve ≈ 5.5 Mt @ ≈17.9% TGC — the highest reserve grade of any undeveloped African graphite project; 40 ktpa flake concentrate (>95% TGC) over ≈24 yr. Walkabout Resources operator (Gemcorp US$20m debt; first foreign debt into Tanzanian mining in 20 years). A Government of Tanzania 16% free-carried interest was reported in 2026 (single-source, pending second-source confirmation). [Sourced: Walkabout optimised DFS; TanzaniaInvest; Mining-Technology]
G1 Met (Sourced): an ESIA report is in place and the mine passed its annual independent environmental audit under Regulation 50 of Tanzania's EIA and Audit Regulations (audit by a registered environmental firm), with a written HSE policy. G2 Partial: a compact ~30,000 m² plant footprint limits displacement; "local-first" community engagement is documented; a formal RAP record is not on the public surface. G3 N/A. G4 Partial (Sourced): the 28.3-ha TSF was constructed to stated international standards under independent engineering monitoring and holds a Ministry of Water operating permit; explicit GISTM conformance is not separately stated. G5 Partial: the ESIA addresses biodiversity; no critical-habitat trigger; IBAT not on record. Bankability: optimised DFS (2019) post-tax NPV ≈ US$197m, IRR 119%, payback ≈ 22 months, capex ≈ US$27.8m, opex ≈ US$347/t FOB Mtwara, LOM revenue ≈ US$1.4bn over 24 years (40 ktpa). First on-spec concentrate shipped Jun 2024 — the one cohort asset de-risked into production.
Sources: Proactive Investors / TanzaniaInvest / African Review (TSF permit, 2024); Walkabout independent environmental audit disclosure; Crux Investor.
Resource & ownership: Reserve 109.7 Mt @ 16.3% TGC (17.9 Mt contained graphite); resource 1,035 Mt — the world’s largest flake-graphite reserve. Syrah Resources via Twigg Exploration and Mining; ≈350 ktpa, 40+ yr. [Sourced: Syrah Resources R&R; Snowden FS 2015]
G1 Met (Sourced): a full Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment is on the public DFC register, and the operation passed three years of detailed environmental and social due diligence by the US DFC ahead of its loan, structured to IFC-aligned standards. G2 Met (Sourced): the one cohort asset with a Resettlement Action Plan on the record — a RAP for the ~400 ha of agricultural land (machambas) across four Project-Affected Communities (Nquide, Ntete, Maputo/Mualia, Pirira), prepared under Mozambique's Decree 31/2012 and IFC Performance Standards. G3 N/A: no IFC PS7-qualifying Indigenous Peoples in the area of influence. G4 Partial (Sourced): a TSF is in operation and the DFC loan expressly funds its expansion under DFC technical oversight; facility-specific GISTM conformance is not separately stated. G5 Partial: the ESHIA addresses biodiversity; no critical-habitat determination is on the record. PS4 security context (flag): Balama sits in Cabo Delgado province, subject to insurgency and, in 2025, a force-majeure operational halt and restart — a community-health-safety-and-security (IFC PS4) and operating-continuity factor a financier would weight heavily, surfaced here rather than buried. Bankability: the Snowden Feasibility Study (May 2015) reported a post-tax NPV10 of US$1.1bn and a post-tax IRR of 71% on US$138m initial capital (payback <2 yr), at a US$286/t FOB cash cost over a 40-year-plus life. That FS is a 2015-vintage historical baseline; Balama is now operating (the largest integrated graphite operation globally) with a Dec-2024 force-majeure halt/restart, so the operative read today is the go-forward cash margin at current graphite pricing plus the DFC US$150m facility (~4.61%, to 2037), not the FS NPV. FS NPV at 10%, stated as disclosed; vintage and operating status flagged.
Sources: US DFC ESIA register and Initial Project Summary (Syrah Balama); EOH CES Social Impact Assessment / RAP; Mining.com / Mining-Technology (DFC loan + 2025 restart). Cabo Delgado, graphite — outside any conflict-mineral (3TG) scope; security context is a public risk datum.
Resource & ownership: Reserve 52 Mt @ 1.51% Li₂O; resource 108 Mt @ 1.45% Li₂O (JORC). Ganfeng Lithium 65% (acquired Leo Lithium’s interest) / Mali State 35% under the 2023 Mining Code; open-pit, Stage 1 ≈ 506 ktpa SC6 (peak 880 ktpa Stage 2). [Sourced: Leo Lithium DFS Update Dec 2021; Ganfeng/Mali disclosures 2024–2025]
G1 Met (Sourced): the ESIA was prepared by Digby Wells Environmental and submitted to Mali's Ministère de l'Environnement. G2 Partial: open-pit development on the licence relevant to land use; the ESIA addresses social impact and displacement, but a standalone RAP is not separately confirmed on the public surface. G3 N/A: no IFC PS7-qualifying Indigenous Peoples in southern Mali. G4 Partial (Sourced): the TSF was engineered and designed by Land & Marine Geological Services; facility-specific GISTM conformance is not stated. G5 Partial: the ESIA addresses biodiversity; no critical-habitat determination on record. Bankability: the Leo Lithium DFS Update (Dec 2021) reported a post-tax NPV8 of US$2.9bn and a post-tax IRR of 83% (Stages 1+2) at an assumed US$978/t spodumene price over a 21-year-plus life, with Stage 1 capex of US$255m (~US$318m as-built) and a C1 cash cost of US$312/t concentrate (Stage 1 ≈ 506 ktpa SC6); the project entered production Dec 2024, and Ganfeng paid US$342.7m for the final 40% (a transaction-implied ≈ US$857m for 100%). The DFS price assumption predates the recent lithium-price decline; a lender would re-run at current spodumene.
Sources: NS Energy / Mining-Technology (Digby Wells ESIA, TSF design); Leo Lithium DFS Update (Jun 2021); Mining.com / Argus (production start, Ganfeng acquisition).
Resource & ownership: Reserve 42.4 Mt @ 0.9% Cu; resource 59.5 Mt @ 1.0% Cu (T3 + A4). Sandfire Resources 100% via Tshukudu Metals (Botswana); ~30→50 ktpa Cu + Ag by-product. [Sourced: Sandfire ASX R&R Aug 2025; T3 DFS Dec 2020]
G1 Met (Sourced): an EIA was submitted to Botswana's Department of Environmental Affairs in Dec 2018 and approved Jun 2020, with the A4-expansion ESIA approved in 2023; LOCI Environmental (Botswana) supported the DFS environmental and social work. G2 Partial: a remote, sparsely-populated Kalahari setting (~70–80 km from Ghanzi) limits displacement; a formal RAP is not prominent on the record. G3 Partial (flag): San / Basarwa communities are present in Ghanzi District, so IFC PS7 (Indigenous Peoples) relevance cannot be cleanly excluded; whether the project footprint triggered a formal PS7 process is not on the public record. This is held as Partial rather than the easy N/A precisely because the determination is unverified. G4 Partial (Sourced): a lined TSF of 34.4 Mt capacity was designed by Knight Piésold with segregated storage and inspection protocols; explicit GISTM conformance is not separately stated. G5 Partial: the EIA addresses biodiversity in a semi-arid Kalahari setting; no critical-habitat determination on record. Bankability: the T3 DFS (Dec 2020) reported a post-tax NPV7 of US$206m, a post-tax IRR of 21% and a 3.8-year payback on a US$259m FID for a 3.2 Mtpa base case over a 12.5-year-plus life (~30 ktpa Cu + 1.2 Moz Ag, ~360 kt contained Cu reserve at 0.9% Cu); the 5.2 Mtpa A4 expansion (US$140m credit-approved debt facility) is a separate, larger case. Operating since May 2023. Issuer reported NPV at 7%, not 8% — stated as disclosed; the NPV is single-source (issuer DFS announcement), pending a second-source back-check.
Sources: Mining-Technology / NS Energy (EIA approval, TSF design, DFS); Sandfire ASX announcements (FID, A4 PFS, ore reserves).