Green Mineral Profile

Manganese

Overview

Overview

South Africa is the largest producer of manganese globally, along with Gabon, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire, contributing significantly to Africa’s manganese production. These countries hold a combined total of 714,000 metric tons in manganese reserves, accounting for 43% of the global total.

South Africa processes some manganese ore into ferromanganese before exporting and has projects for battery-grade materials like the Manganese Metal Company’s lithium-ion battery precursor project. In March 2024, the company announced plans to build a $25 million commercial plant to produce 5,000 metric tons of battery-grade manganese sulfate annually by the end of 2026. 

Overview

Manganese reserves

South Africa is the largest producer of manganese in the world and together with Gabon, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire are the major countries in Africa’s manganese production. These countries have a combined total of 714,000 metric tons in manganese reserves, which constitutes 43% of total global manganese reserves. 

  • South Africa has reserves of 640,000 metric tons (38% of global total).
  • Gabon has reserves of 61,000 metric tons (4% of global total).
  • Ghana has reserves of 13,000 metric tons (1% of global total).
  • The top five countries with the largest manganese reserves globally are South Africa (38%); Australia (16%); Brazil (16%); China (16%) and Ukraine (8%).
South Africa
0 %
Share of global reserves
(640,000 tons)
Gabon
0 %
Share of global reserves
(61,000 tons)
Ghana
0 %
Share of global reserves
(13,000 tons)

Manganese production

  • South Africa was the largest producer of manganese in 2021, with the production of 7,200 metric tons (36% of global total).
  • Gabon was the second largest producer of manganese globally in 2021, with the production of 4,340 metric tons (22% of global total).
  • Ghana placed as the fifth largest producer of manganese globally in 2021, with the production of 940 metric tons (4% of global total).
South Africa
0 %
Share of global production
(7,200 tons)
Gabon
0 %
Share of global production
(4,340 tons)
Ghana
0 %
Share of global production
(940 tons)
Pattern

Major manganese
mining projects

South Africa South Africa

Approximately 80% of the world’s known manganese resources are contained in the Kalahari manganese field in South Africa. The Tshipi Borwa open pit mine is located on a large and homogenous ore body in the southern portion of the Kalahari manganese field. Australian firm Jupiter Mines Limited has an interest of 49.9% share in Tshipi e Ntle Manganese Mining Limited, which operates the mine. The remaining 50.1% is owned by Ntsimbintle Mining Limited. 

South32 operates the open pit manganese Mamatwan mine, which is locayed approximately 25 kilometers south of Hotazel in the Northern Cape province. South32 owns 44.4%; the remaining ownership is divided between Anglo American Plc. (29.6%) and Black Economic Empowerment entities (26%).

Gabon Gabon

French company Eramet’s subsidiary La Compagnie de l’Ogooue (Comilog) is the largest manganese producer in Gabon and operates a mine near the town of Moanda.

Ghana Ghana

The Ghanian Manganese Company owns and operates the Nsuta mine in the western region of Ghana. The company is owned by Consolidated Minerals Africa (90%) and the Ghanian Government (10%), which holds a mining concession for manganese over an area of 170 square kilometers in and around Nsuta.

Main copper export destinations

South Africa South Africa exports in 2020
China ($1.67 billion)
India ($214 million)
Russia ($135 million)
Norway ($111 million)
Malaysia ($90.5 million)
Gabon Gabon exports in 2020
China ($769 million)
India ($148 million)
Norway ($102 million)
United States ($54.4 million)
Russia ($36.2 million)
Ghana Ghana exports in 2020
China ($164 million)
Ukraine ($59.7 million)
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Processing capacity

Processing capacity

South Africa’s manganese producers generally process a portion of manganese ore into ferromanganese prior to export to steel manufacturers. 

There are some battery-grade material beneficiation projects running in South Africa, such as the Manganese Metal Company’s precursor project for lithium-ion batteries. 

Processing capacity

Value-addition initiatives

It was reported in March 2024 that the Manganese Metal Company is planning to build a $25 million commercial manganese processing plant that would be able to produce 5,000 metric tons of battery-grade manganese sulphate a year. It is envisioned that the plant will be fully operational by the end of 2026.

Gabon exported unprocessed ore until opening a $400-million smelter in 2015. Major companies in the manganese sector have leveraged Gabon’s ore to develop a local processing industry, thereby adding value to the country’s exports and strengthening social license. 

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