Andrada Mining and European Investment Bank Partner to Advance Uis Lithium Project in Namibia
AIM-listed Andrada Mining has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Uis Tin Mining Company (UTMC), has entered into a cooperation agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to accelerate the feasibility study for the Uis lithium expansion project in Namibia.
The agreement provides technical and project development assistance funded through European Union facilities, aimed at advancing the project to bankable feasibility level and supporting Andrada’s ambition to become a long term lithium supplier into global green energy supply chains.
Technical Support Backed by EU Funding
Under the arrangement, consulting services valued at up to €2-million will be made available through the Critical Raw Materials technical assistance facility.
This facility is funded under the EU Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) programme focused on critical raw materials.
Andrada stated that the partnership delivers strong institutional and technical backing for its lithium development strategy at the Uis mine.
Lithium is classified as both a critical and strategic raw material under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials framework, with growing importance in battery manufacturing and energy storage technologies.
Andrea Clerici, EIB Director for Corporates and Global Activities, noted that the bank is increasingly supporting projects that diversify critical mineral supply while maintaining high environmental and social standards.
Uis Lithium Expansion Strategy
The Uis mine hosts a polymetallic, pegmatite-hosted deposit containing tin, tantalum and lithium mineralisation. It currently produces tin and tantalum concentrates.
Andrada intends to monetise lithium contained in run-of-mine material by installing an integrated beneficiation circuit within the existing processing plant. Importantly, this expansion will not require additional ore mining. Instead, lithium will be recovered by reprocessing waste streams from the current tin and tantalum concentrator.
Lithium mineralisation at Uis predominantly occurs as petalite.
During the initial phase of development, the company plans to produce 50,000 tonnes per year of petalite concentrate for the technical lithium market.
Previous studies have advanced the project to prefeasibility level, and the EIB-supported programme is expected to move it to full bankable feasibility.
Long-Term Growth Vision
Andrada CEO Anthony Viljoen described the agreement as a major milestone, stating that it materially accelerates the company’s lithium development strategy and strengthens Uis’s position within the global critical minerals supply chain.
He added that the project is expected to deliver economic and social benefits in Namibia, expand Andrada’s contribution to the national economy, and enhance long-term shareholder value.
Looking ahead, Andrada envisions a second phase of development focused on supplying higher-grade concentrate suitable for lithium chemical conversion, targeting the fast-growing battery materials market.
By leveraging EU-backed technical support and integrating lithium recovery into existing operations, Andrada is positioning Uis as a scalable, lower-capital entry into lithium production aligned with rising global demand for energy transition minerals.
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