$40 Rock Could Generate $527,062 Through African Processing — Mutanga
By Joyce Sunny, FOREIGN DESK – Zimbabwean industrialist Bernard Mahara Mutanga has unveiled an ambitious mineral beneficiation blueprint that projects the value of a tonne of African mineral ore could rise from $40 at the mine gate to $527,062 through advanced processing, challenging African governments and investors to prioritise local industrialisation over the export of raw minerals.
Mutanga, Group Chief Executive Officer of Berhard Development Corporation, presented the proposal in an address titled “Business Not Politics: The Next 100 Years” at the Africa Mining Investment Conference 2026 in Harare, Zimbabwe, where he called for a shift towards processing Africa’s mineral resources on the continent to create jobs, strengthen local industries and retain more economic value.
Describing his proposal as the “Harare Eye Opener”, Mutanga used a tonne of Zimbabwean mineral ore valued at $40 to demonstrate two potential processing pathways: an industrial carbonate route projected to generate $22,822 per tonne and a high-purity metal route estimated at $527,062 per tonne.
The projections, according to Mutanga, are based on a mineral composition comprising 2 per cent rubidium, 2.5 per cent lithium, 19 per cent antimony and 28 grams of gold per tonne. He said the composition had been verified by the University of Zimbabwe through SGS inductively coupled plasma analysis.
The proposal centres on establishing processing facilities close to mining sites, thereby reducing the export of unprocessed minerals and creating opportunities for African communities to participate more directly in the mineral value chain.
“Mr Chairman, I come with no political agenda. Just pure, unadulterated business,” Mutanga said, arguing that Africa could achieve greater economic prosperity by linking its mineral resources to scientific research, industrial production, regional trade and global markets.
Under the proposed industrial carbonate route, the ore would undergo washing and smelting on African soil, with Mutanga projecting a processing value of $22,822 per tonne. At a production capacity of 30 tonnes daily, he estimated monthly revenue of $20.5 million and annual revenue of approximately $205.3 million.
The second route focuses on producing high-purity metals, particularly rubidium, which is used in specialised applications such as quantum technologies and atomic clocks. Mutanga projected that this pathway, combined with the value of other recovered minerals, could generate $527,062 per tonne.
He said the proposed model would employ 120 formalised young miners using mercury-free extraction methods, appropriate personal protective equipment and blockchain-based tracking through ZIM WIN Mining.
Mutanga also proposed partnerships with the University of Zimbabwe and the Botswana International University of Science and Technology to support research, mineral processing and industrial development.
Under the arrangement, the University of Zimbabwe would contribute scientific research and processing designs, while BIUST would support regional research and the supply of soda ash from Botswana for lithium processing.
Mutanga projected that the collaboration could support the production of battery-grade lithium carbonate in Africa, strengthening the continent’s participation in the electric vehicle and battery supply chains.
He further proposed allocating 2 per cent of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation to research and development, including laboratory facilities and internship opportunities for university students.
Beyond mineral processing, the blueprint incorporates a community development programme designed to connect industrial growth with affordable housing and employment.
The proposed pilot eco-village scheme would provide 50 modular homes in Hukutsi, Botswana, using low-carbon ferrochrome and steel frames. Mutanga estimated that each home could cost $18,000, compared with $35,000 for conventional construction, with a proposed mortgage payment of $120 monthly for miners earning $400.
Each home would incorporate solar power, biogas, satellite internet and rainwater harvesting, with funding partly supported by a proposed 1 per cent Mai Kai real estate investment trust levy.
The initial plan envisages five pilot villages across Zibagwe, Chirumanzu and Vhungu in Zimbabwe, as well as Hukutsi and Zutshwa in Botswana. Mutanga projected that the pilot would deliver 250 homes and create 1,350 jobs in its first year.
He also outlined a broader ambition to extend the model across 54 districts in the Southern African Development Community, projecting 2,700 homes, 352,500 jobs and substantial additional mineral-processing revenue.
On government involvement, Mutanga urged Zimbabwean and Botswana authorities to facilitate industrial development through faster licensing, incentives for local mineral processing and improved cross-border logistics under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.
He also called on African development finance institutions and investment agencies to support commercially viable mineral-processing projects through bankable financing arrangements.
Linking the proposal to global markets, Mutanga identified potential opportunities in low-carbon steel production, defence-related antimony supplies, electric vehicle batteries and specialised rubidium applications.
He argued that Africa’s mineral wealth could support a stronger industrial base if governments, financial institutions, universities, mining communities and international buyers collaborated to establish processing facilities on the continent.
Mutanga contrasted the proposed approach with the historical extraction of African resources for export, arguing that the continent must move beyond supplying raw materials to producing higher-value industrial goods.
“In 1884, 14 men in Berlin drew lines to take our rock for $40. In 2026, Harare re-links it,” he said, drawing a connection between the colonial-era partition of Africa and the contemporary challenge of retaining value from its natural resources.
He also questioned the continent’s investment priorities, pointing to the substantial funds remitted by Africans in the diaspora and the limited financing available for local mineral-processing industries.
“If you truly love your neighbour, you will no longer buy his rock for $40 and sell it back for $527,062. You will join hands to build the factory on his soil,” Mutanga said.
He described the proposal as a pathway towards an integrated African industrial economy in which mineral extraction, research, manufacturing, housing and regional trade reinforce one another.
Mutanga, an architect and industrialist, leads Berhard Development Corporation and is associated with the proposed Bern-Win Utopia Eco-Smart City, a planned $2.5 billion development designed to accommodate 400,000 residents.
