Uranium mining has a long and interesting history in Africa. Significant quantities of the mineral have previously come out of the Congo and Gabon. Today uranium is mined in Namibia, Niger, South Africa and Malawi.

The DR Congo, or Belgian Congo as it was then known, provided much of the uranium for the Manhattan Project in the early 1940s particularly from the Shinkolobwe mine in Katanga. There was some uranium mining subsequently by Union Miniere, to independence in 1960, when the shafts were sealed and guarded. About 25 000 tU was produced in the two decades until then.

In Gabon, the Mounana uranium deposits were discovered in 1956 by French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) geologists and were mined from 1960 to 1999, producing nearly 28 000 tonnes of uranium from underground and open pit mining. The best known of these deposits is Oklo, discovered in 1968, which is famous for its fossil nuclear reactors, where the natural conditions about two billion years ago created at least 17 self-sustaining nuclear reactors in the wet sandstone orebody.

Namibia has two large uranium mines capable of producing 10% of world output. Rio Tinto operates the low-grade Rossing deposit, 65 km inland from Swakopmund. Rossing Uranium Ltd was formed in 1970 (now 68.6% Rio Tinto) and the company has mined the deposit from 1976 as a large-scale open pit in very hard rock. Rossing produced 3083 tU in 2010, making it the third largest uranium mine in the world. Langer Heinrich is 50 km south-south-east of Rossing and 80 km from the coast. It is being mined by Paladin Energy Ltd, producing about 1350 tU/yr.

There are several promising developments in Namibia, including Extract Resources’ Husab project on the Rossing South deposit, which promises to become one of the world’s largest uranium mines. Early in 2012 it was taken over by a subsiduary of China Guangdong Nuclear Power.

Niger has two significant long-running mines, Akouta and Arlette, supplying 6% of the world’s mined uranium. The Societe des Mines de l’Air (SOMAIR) started production from the Arlette deposit in 1971, by open cut mining. It produces about 1700 tU/yr. The Compagnie Miniere d’Akouta (COMINAK) started production from the Akouta deposit in the 1970s. This is an underground operation at a depth of about 250 metres. Production is about 1400 tU/yr.

In South Africa, uranium production has generally been a by-product of gold or copper mining. In 1951, a company was formed to exploit the uranium-rich slurries from gold mining and in 1998 this became a subsidiary of AngloGold Ltd. It produces about 500 tU/yr from material trucked in from various gold mines and from Palabora copper mine.

In Malawi, Paladin Energy has developed the Kayelekera uranium mine where production is expected to ramp up to 1460 tU/yr about mid 2012.

In the Central African Republic, Areva is developing the Bakouma project, and is ramping up production from open pit mining to 1200 tU/yr.

In Zambia, Equinox Minerals is developing the Lumwana project, which is primarily a copper mine with discrete uranium ore. Uranium ore is being stockpiled, but there is no treatment plant yet.