Rwandan mining company Trinity Metals is in talks with smelters in the US, with the intent of supplying tungsten to the US in future, according to the company's top officials. Trinity Metals’ Nyakabingo Mine in Rulindo District is now Africa’s largest Tungsten producer and the fourth largest in the world. ALSO READ: Inside Rwanda’s Tungsten mine which is the leading producer in Africa Tungsten is a crucial metal used in manufacturing metal wires, electrodes, and wear-resistant machine parts. Rwanda exports significant amounts of tungsten, particularly to Austria, where it is processed for various industrial applications. Nyakabingo mine produces 120 tonnes of wolframite, the host mineral for tungsten per month. Trinity Metals runs three companies that are involved in mining and exploration of tin, tungsten and tantalum in Rwanda. This month, in a separate deal, the mining company signed a separate deal with Nathan Trotter, the largest manufacturer of tin and tin alloys in North America, at the US Department of State this month, as part of a process of establishing a new supply chain of tin from Rwanda to the United States. “Aside from the commitment to supply tin to the US, Trinity is also in talks with smelters in the US, with the intent of supplying tungsten to the US in future,” Peter Geleta, CEO of Trinity Metals Group, told The New Times. ALSO READ: What new US-Rwanda tin export deal means for economy Geleta added that the company is in discussions with the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) for a possible equity investment in Trinity which, “if successful, will be a major boost for further growth.” In June 2024, Trinity Metals secured a $US3.85 million Technical Assistance Grant from the DFC, making it the first operating mine in Africa to receive such a technical assistance from the DFC. Rwanda's mineral export revenues reached $1.7 billion (Rwf2.38 trillion) in 2024, with gold raking in $1.5 billion, according to information shared by Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente during a presentation to the parliament in March. Wolfram exports generated up to $36 million in 2024 up from $13 million in 2017. Under the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), the government targets $2.2 billion in annual mineral exports by 2029. Since the 1920s, according to Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB), geological surveys have indicated that Rwanda possesses huge deposits of tin, tantalum, tungsten (3Ts) across the country. The deposits are associated with steep faulting and folds coincident with “highs” on intrusive granite cupolas. RMB also says that Rwanda hosts a large number of historical mineral occurrences and operational mines with major commodities being cassiterite, wolframite, columbite-tantalite, and other pegmatite-related rare minerals such as rare earth elements, beryl, lithium-bearing minerals, phosphate minerals, and gemstones.
