Could you introduce Wood's Minerals & Metals (M&M) division and explain its role within the global organization?

Wood consists of three major business units globally: Projects, Consulting, and Operations. The M&M division is part of the Projects business. We have five offices in North America, two in South America, two in Australia and one in South Africa (Johannesburg), and we work in all major mining jurisdictions. Our client base is evenly split among major producers, mid-tier companies and juniors. 

What role does Africa play in Wood’s Minerals and Metals strategy? 

Africa has always been a key market for Wood. We have been working on projects across the continent for over 30 years, often starting with our Australian and Canadian clients during the study phases outside Africa, before following them into the execution phases within African countries. At the moment, we are engaged in projects in lithium, rare earths, uranium, manganese and iron ore on the continent. We have a strong track record of doing business in Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana and Namibia. However, localization requirements still present challenges for foreign companies looking to undertake projects. For instance, in Tanzania, the government’s policies have changed quite drastically over the last five to six years.

Could you elaborate on Wood’s key expertise in the mining sector?

We are experts in minerals and metals processing, especially when it comes to larger and more complex plants. The growing interest in uranium, rare earths, lithium and vanadium processing, which involve more intricate flowsheets, is a significant driver for us. Our capabilities extend across the full life cycle of mining projects—from early resource exploration and mine design to feasibility studies and execution. We also have expertise in brownfield development, with a specialized team focused on optimization and expansions. A good example of this would be the work we are doing at Debswana’s Orapa mine. Wood is well-positioned to assist mines in decarbonizing and digitizing their operations.

Could you share some of the projects Wood has been working on in Africa?

One of the projects we have been working on for a long time is Peak Rare Earths’ Ngualla REE project in Tanzania, for which we are currently providing FEED and early engineering work. In the uranium space, we have been working with Bannerman on their Etango project in Namibia for over a decade now. The bullish outlook on uranium prices has triggered quite a lot of movement in the sector, with all uranium projects moving at 100 mph to ramp up into production after a long period of hibernation. Another interesting project is Giyani Metals’ K.Hill manganese project in Botswana, where we are heading up their feasibility study, as well as helping them with the demonstration plant they are currently building in South Africa to test the flowsheet and produce high-purity manganese sulfate for the battery industry. 

Do you think the growing focus on critical minerals will lead to more downstream processing within the continent?

Given the increasing demand for critical minerals due to the energy transition and Africa’s estimated 30% share of the world’s critical mineral resources, the continent is becoming central to discussions on securing supply. This has led to several shifts. One is a shift that we have noticed in our own client demographic, whereby oil and gas companies are diversifying into the critical minerals space; more than that, battery manufacturers themselves are starting to backward integrate in mining. 

The other aspect is the focus of the mining sector on downstream processing. The traditional model of digging the material up and shipping it to China for refining is being challenged, with multiple African governments demanding local processing. Some countries are giving miners a deadline for how long they can ship concentrates before building an African-based refining facility. This has pushed some lithium miners to investigate going downstream to battery grade feed materials. These dynamics could potentially turn projects worth a couple of hundred million dollars into multibillion-dollar projects. In turn, this is driving new technologies, such as direct lithium extraction technologies, to enter the market. The landscape is changing rapidly and the critical mineral African projects we are looking at today could look very different in the future. At the same time, these markets remain volatile and prices fluctuate quite significantly, which has slowed down some projects.