The Africans for Africa (AFA) Initiative has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with KNY Chemicals Ltd to develop mineral processing projects in East Africa, with a strong focus on turning mining tailings into profitable and environmentally sustainable resources.
The agreement, announced following the 5th African Natural Resources & Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS), underscores a growing push toward sustainable mining practices and value addition within Africa’s extractive sector.
The partnership aims to address one of the mining industry’s most critical issues—tailings management—by combining KNY Chemicals’ technical expertise in specialized reagents with AFA’s investment-driven infrastructure model. The collaboration is expected to convert mining waste into economic assets while reducing environmental risks associated with extraction activities.
Initial efforts will be concentrated in East Africa, leveraging KNY Chemicals’ operational base in Tanzania to drive immediate project development and regional impact.
Co-founder of AFA Initiative, Suleiman Zakari, said the partnership reflects a broader ambition to integrate African capabilities across regions and establish a continent-wide mineral processing ecosystem. He noted that the collaboration would serve as a model for circular mineral processing, ensuring that value addition remains within Africa while promoting efficiency and sustainability.
The MoU outlines joint project development strategies, including research into beneficiation pathways that utilise locally sourced chemical inputs—an approach aligned with AFA’s goal of strengthening Africa’s industrial base.
Finance and Strategy Director of KNY Chemicals, Simon Karunditu, described the agreement as a unique opportunity to scale the company’s chemical solutions across Africa, emphasising that innovation in chemical processing, combined with AFA’s investment framework, would set new standards for sustainable mining operations and responsible resource management.
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The AFA Initiative, through its AFA Mining Fund I, continues to champion resource sovereignty by investing in critical mineral projects that meet its 51% Total African Benefit (TAB) model, while KNY Chemicals remains a leading provider of high-performance mining chemicals in East Africa, focused on efficiency and environmental compliance.
The partnership signals a significant step toward reshaping Africa’s mining value chain, with a clear emphasis on sustainability, regional integration and economic transformation.
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