Tell us a bit about yourself, the country that you come from, and why did you choose to invest in Kenya?
My name is Jason Brewer, I’m the Chief Executive Officer of Marula Mining. Marula Mining is a London Stock Exchange listed mining company, focused entirely in Africa.
We have mines in South Africa, in Tanzania, and in Zambia, and over the coming months we will be acquiring and developing new mines here in Kenya.We’re also in the process of listing on the Nairobi Stock Exchange, so we will be the first ever mining company to be listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange, and that listing is going to happen, I believe, in the first week of March.I think we will be the first new listing on the Stock Exchange. We’ve been listed on the Stock Exchange in London for several years now.We are listed in London but our headquarters are here in Nairobi, so from Nairobi we run all our activities throughout Africa.We’re here in Nairobi because we feel Kenya is a great country to operate from.It’s got incredible people, well-educated people, very hard-working people, and people that understand how to do business throughout Africa. So I came here initially for three months.Three and a half years later, I’m still here. I came all the way from Australia, and I’ve never been back to Australia since. And actually, I’ve got no intention because Kenya is my home, it’s the country I want to build a very strong business with in the mining sector, and with Marula Mining.In addition to Marula Mining, we also run three other London Stock Exchange listed companies out of Nairobi. So that’s an indication of our commitment to building a business. So we’re very proud to be a part of the business here in Kenya.Those mining companies are also involved in mining throughout Africa.We have mines in Tanzania,Zambia, and South Africa as well. We are a very active company.
Nairobi is the headquarters, but we are operating in Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe as well.
What specifically do you mine? With Marula Mining, we’re focused on battery metals.Metals which are necessary for energy transition. So in South Africa, we have a lithium mine. So lithium is obviously critical in batteries, electric vehicles.We got that mine operating within six months. Typically, mines take several years to get into production. That was operating within six months. In Tanzania, we have copper and graphite.Our graphite projects are located near Moshi, we expect to start producing
graphite there, which will happen in the second half of this year. Again, both copper and graphite are used for energy transition,electric vehicles, electric batteries and so on.In Kenya, we’re looking to acquire interests and develop mines in manganese,copper, and graphite.We’re busy negotiating those acquisitions.We’ve lodged applications here in Kenya for licenses as well. So we’re trying to grow our business in those key areas.
In the African region, how do you see DRC in terms mining?
We have knowledge that it’s rich in minerals.
Will you expand to DRC as well? I spent three years living in the DRC. I lived in Lumbumbashi and I spent a lot of time in Kinshasa.DRC is an incredible country when it comes to natural resources. There are some world-class mines there but with those world-class mines comes world-class challenges.The DRC, as everybody knows, is not the easiest of places to do business. There are a tiny number of issues there. So DRC has tremendous resources but you’ve got to remember, there’s been a lot of exploration and focus on the DRC for decades. A lot of neighboring countries have similarly good natural resources.Tanzania, Kenya, for instance. DRC is known for its copper bit in Kenya and in Tanzania we’ve got some incredibly good copper opportunities.So, yes, the DRC is incredible in terms of its natural resources, many of which have been developed. I think elsewhere in East and Central Africa, there are equally as good mining opportunities. And that’s why we’re headquartered here in Nairobi.East Africa.I came here for three months three and a half years ago. I came here to do a gold deal in Western Kenya.That’s what brought me here to Kenya first and as you know, there’s a lot of gold mining here as well and so on.Tanzania,in the 1990s some world-class gold mines were discovered up around there, which were developed and turned Tanzania into one of the top producing gold companies in Africa.It still is a very major gold producer.I think in East Africa,there are some tremendous opportunities.
