BY THEMBA ZWANE
MBABANE – Eswatini’s Commissioner of Mines, Dr Noah Nhleko, has been allocated a 45-minute session at African Mining Week 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa, where the Kingdom’s mineral potential is expected to feature in discussions on investment, financing and the development of Africa’s mining sector.
According to the conference programme, Dr Nhleko is scheduled to address delegates at the National Mining Company Forum on Thursday, October 15, from 3:40 pm. The session, titled “Mobilizing Africa’s Mineral Wealth: Strategic Roles and Value Chains for National Mining Companies,” focuses on the role of national mining companies in developing mineral resources and attracting strategic investment.
The session provides a platform for Eswatini’s mining administration to present the country’s mineral development priorities to an international audience of industry players and potential investors.
The conference programme lists Dr Nhleko’s allocated session as 45 minutes.
Eswatini is expected to use the Cape Town conference to seek mining investors and strategic partners who can help unlock the country’s mineral resources, support exploration and develop commercially viable mining projects.
The engagement comes as the Kingdom seeks to identify opportunities to translate its mineral potential into economic activity, investment and employment.
African Mining Week brings together stakeholders across the mining value chain, including government representatives, mining companies, investors and financial institutions. Discussions at the National Mining Company Forum are centred on financing, partnerships and the development of mineral value chains across the continent.
For Eswatini, attracting investment into mineral exploration and extraction could help expand the mining sector’s contribution to the economy. Such investment would also depend on the availability of reliable geological data, commercially viable deposits, appropriate infrastructure and a supportive regulatory environment.
The conference therefore offers an opportunity for Eswatini to engage potential partners on the practical requirements for developing its mineral resources.
The official programme confirms Dr Nhleko’s scheduled participation, but a transcript or recording of his remarks was not available at the time of compiling this report. It is therefore not yet possible to establish the specific proposals, investment opportunities or commitments he may present during the session.
Meanwhile, Eswatini’s anticipated investor engagement at African Mining Week comes amid efforts to advance geological surveys and feasibility studies aimed at establishing the commercial viability of identified mineral targets.
The country has previously allocated E6.13 million towards follow-up geological surveys and feasibility studies, an initiative intended to strengthen the information available for assessing potential mining projects.
Such work can be important in attracting investors because geological evidence and feasibility assessments help establish the potential costs, risks and commercial prospects of mineral development.
The Kingdom’s participation in the conference is consequently an opportunity to connect mineral exploration efforts with potential sources of finance, technical expertise and strategic partnerships.
Whether these engagements will translate into investment agreements or new mining projects remains to be established. No specific deal or funding commitment arising from Dr Nhleko’s scheduled session had been independently confirmed at the time of publication.
African Mining Week 2026 is taking place in Cape Town from October 14 to 16. The event provides a continental platform for discussions on mineral development, investment and the role of national mining companies in Africa’s economic transformation.
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(Courtesy Pic)
