East African Mining News Unearthing Mining Opportunities in East Africa
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By; Bazin Mambumina
Rare earth explorer RareX (ASX:REE) has moved to aggressively bolster its African growth strategy with the appointment of veteran economic geologist Glen Edwards as General Manager for Business Development.
The strategic hire, effective immediately, comes as the company navigates a “pivotal evolution” of its portfolio, transitioning from pure exploration to development planning in Western Australia while concurrently eyeing a major footprint in East Africa’s burgeoning critical minerals sector.
Mr. Edwards joins the Perth-based firm with a 35-year track record in the mining industry, most recently serving as General Manager of Exploration at Perseus Mining (ASX:PRU). His career has been defined by a deep specialization in the African continent, where he has overseen discovery and resource development phases for international majors including Newmont and Gold Fields of South Africa.
RareX Managing Director James Durrant noted that this specific regional expertise is critical as the company advances its proposal for the world-class Mrima Hill project in Kenya alongside consortium partner Iluka Resources.
The appointment coincides with a significant derisking of RareX’s domestic flagship, the Cummins Range Rare Earths and Phosphate Project. Following the recent grant of a 21-year mining lease by the Western Australian government, the project has officially moved beyond tenure risk and into the technical optimisation phase.
Mr Edwards is expected to provide strategic oversight as the company refines the metallurgical flowsheets for Cummins Range, which is currently ranked as Australia’s largest undeveloped rare earths deposit.
Beyond its flagship asset, RareX is leveraging Mr Edwards’ background in geochemistry to accelerate the assessment of its Khaleesi project in the East Yilgarn. Recent historical data reviews at Khaleesi have identified extensive gallium-rich clay zones, positioning it as a potentially significant source of a metal currently under tight export controls from China.
By securing top-tier technical leadership, RareX aims to integrate these diverse assets into a Western-aligned supply chain, specifically targeting the high-growth magnets and clean energy markets.
“Glen’s depth of experience in Africa, and particularly East Africa, combined with his background in discovery, development, and business growth, makes him especially well suited to support RareX’s near-term and long-term strategic objectives,” said James Durrant. The company’s vision of building a “carbonatite-focused” critical minerals powerhouse now relies on translating these geological assessments into commercial-scale production.
