Kazakhstan Eyes Rare Metals Mining in Afghanistan and Rwanda

Kazakhstan is assessing rare metals mining opportunities in Afghanistan and Rwanda, as laboratory tests and geological studies advance on samples collected from both countries.

Kazakhstan is studying the possibility of extracting rare earth elements and other strategic minerals in Afghanistan, as Astana looks to expand its overseas mining interests and secure access to critical raw materials used in modern industry. According to Kazinform, Vice Minister of Industry and Construction Iran Sharkhan said Kazakhstan’s national mining company Tau-Ken Samruk has begun laboratory work on mineral samples collected from Afghanistan and Rwanda.

Sharkhan said the current work is focused on testing ore samples, reviewing geological potential and assessing legal and regulatory conditions before any decision is made on future extraction. He said the studies cover base metals, rare metals and rare earth elements, with analysis being carried out at Tau-Ken Samruk facilities and laboratories in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda region.

Kazakhstan has already shown growing interest in Afghanistan’s mining sector. During an earlier official visit to Kabul, Kazakh specialists collected around 130 kilograms of ore samples in Nuristan province, including material linked to beryllium, lead and zinc deposits, and sent them to Kazakhstan for detailed testing. Officials say more specific investment or extraction plans will depend on whether those results confirm commercially viable reserves.

The move reflects a broader global race to secure critical minerals, which are increasingly important for electronics, renewable energy systems, defence industries, batteries and advanced manufacturing. Kazakhstan has also been developing its own rare and rare-earth mining sector and has promoted the industry as a strategic pillar for long-term industrial growth.

Afghanistan is believed to hold significant untapped deposits of lithium, rare earths, copper, iron, gold and industrial minerals, but decades of war, weak infrastructure, legal uncertainty and political instability have slowed large-scale development. Regional countries have increasingly explored whether the country’s mineral wealth can be commercially developed despite those risks.

Kazakhstan has in recent years sought to deepen economic engagement with Afghanistan through trade, transport, humanitarian aid and mining cooperation. Officials from both sides have discussed broader investment opportunities, including geology, infrastructure and industrial projects, as Astana tries to expand its footprint in regional resource and transit networks.

If the laboratory findings confirm strong mineral potential, Kazakhstan could become one of the first regional states to move more seriously toward strategic mineral cooperation with Afghanistan, though any project would still face major technical, financial and political hurdles.

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