The Deputy Minister of Industry and Construction in Kazakhstan, Iran Sharkhan, announced that his country has already begun testing samples of Rwanda’s mineral resources known as “rare earth metals,” ahead of potential cooperation between the two countries in their extraction.
He made the remarks on Friday, April 3, 2026, during a mining conference in Asia known as the Geoscience & Exploration Central Asia 2026 Forum.
Minister Iran Sharkhan stated that the company Tau-Ken Samruk is currently analyzing samples of these minerals from Rwanda to assess the feasibility of cooperation between Rwanda and Kazakhstan in extracting these globally scarce resources.
“Rare earth metals” refer to a group of minerals that are not commonly found, including Bastnaesite, Monazite, Xenotime, Allanite, Eudialyte, Loparite, Gadolinite, Cerite, Samarskite, Fergusonite, Parisite, Fluorite, among others.
These minerals yield elements such as Lanthanum, Cerium, Praseodymium, Neodymium, Promethium, Samarium, Europium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, Lutetium, Scandium, and Yttrium, which are used in various industrial applications.
Minister Iran Sharkhan added that similar minerals are also being explored in Afghanistan, emphasizing that both Rwanda and Afghanistan possess these resources.
He explained that current efforts focus on laboratory testing of the samples, reviewing legal frameworks to enable cooperation between the two countries, and addressing geological considerations.
He noted that the testing of mineral samples from Rwanda is being conducted in the Karaganda region.
Minister Iran Sharkhan further stated that detailed information about the project will be shared in the future, once the analysis results are available.
Cooperation between Rwanda and Kazakhstan in the mining sector is based on agreements signed in May 2025, during a visit by President Paul Kagame to Kazakhstan.
These agreements were signed between the Rwanda Mining Board and Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna.
Additional agreements were also signed in areas including diplomacy, technology, education, agriculture, and finance.
Areas where these rare minerals have been identified in Rwanda are mainly located in the Southern Province, including Rukarara in Nyamagabe District, Nshili in Nyaruguru District, and near the Munanira rock formation in Nyaruguru District.
These minerals are also found in the area known as Musebeya, located across Karongi, Nyamagabe, and Nyamasheke.
