Angola will begin copper production at the Mavoio–Tetelo project in Uíge Province later this year, marking the country’s first large-scale copper mine and a milestone in efforts to diversify its resource economy beyond oil and diamonds.

The Ministry of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas (MIREMPET) said on October 20 that the mine will start as an open-pit operation, with a transition to underground mining in the second half of 2026 once shafts and ventilation systems are complete.

“The project represents an important step toward establishing Angola as a new copper-producing country in southern Africa,” MIREMPET said, adding that it supports the government’s plan to reduce oil dependence and expand investment in critical and battery minerals.

The project is operated by Moxico Resources Plc, a UK-based mining company that holds an 85% stake through Moxico Angola Mining SA. Endiama Mining, the mining arm of state-owned diamond group Endiama E.P., holds 10%, while the Angolan government and local investors control the remaining 5%.

Initial production is expected to reach about 12,000 tonnes of copper concentrate per year, rising to more than 30,000 tonnes annually as underground extraction ramps up. The ore will be exported in concentrate form because Angola currently lacks domestic refining capacity.

Output will move by rail via the Lobito Corridor to the Atlantic port of Lobito—an integrated logistics chain co-financed by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the EU’s Global Gateway to strengthen African critical-minerals supply routes.

MIREMPET said Mavoio–Tetelo forms part of the National Geology Plan (PLANAGEO), which aims to map and develop Angola’s mineral potential in copper, rare earths, lithium, gold and iron ore. Geologically, the deposit lies on the western margin of the Katanga Supergroup sedimentary basin, an extension of the Central African Copperbelt that runs from Katanga in the DRC through Zambia into northern Namibia.

Funding for the project includes a syndicated Afreximbank-led loan estimated at about $100mn, with additional credit lines from Angolan private lenders under negotiation. An Environmental Impact Assessment is awaiting final approval from the National Agency for Environmental Management (ANAM).

Once fully operational, Mavoio–Tetelo will position Angola alongside Zambia, the DRC and Namibia as part of the region’s expanding copper belt, reinforcing its ambition to become a new source of base and battery-metal supply for global markets. Together, these countries form one of the world’s richest copper provinces, stretching from the Katanga region of the DRC through Zambia into northern Namibia.

Angola’s Mavoio–Tetelo project lies geologically on the western extension of the Central African Copperbelt, where mineralised sedimentary formations continue into Uíge and Cuanza Norte provinces. The mine’s development marks the first serious step toward reactivating this underexplored zone, which was mapped under the PLANAGEO geological survey.