By UN Journal Kayla Lee

The Government of the Republic of Korea, together with the Governments of Australia and Tanzania, welcomes the groundbreaking ceremony held on October 9 to officially launch the Mahenge graphite project in Tanzania.

Located in the Morogoro region of Tanzania, the Mahenge project is led by the Australian company Black Rock Mining (BRM) and involves the Government of Tanzania and Korean companies, including POSCO International.

Tanzanian Government officials, including the Minister of Minerals, the Korean Ambassador to Tanzania, Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to Tanzania and representatives from Black Rock Mining and POSCO International attended the groundbreaking ceremony at the project site.

Participants collectively expressed their strong commitment to the Mahenge project, which is expected to support local development in Tanzania and enhance global graphite supply chains’ stability and resilience. This follows Black Rock Mining and POSCO International signing a binding equity and offtake agreement in September 2024.

The Mahenge project stands as a notable project under the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP). Korea plays a leading role in the MSP as Chair. Together as MSP partners, the Governments of Korea and Australia will continue to support the MSP’s goal to create diverse, secure, and sustainable supply chains for critical minerals.