Calisto Radithipa’s Kemcore targets $103 million Africa chemical plants

Kemcore, the Africa-focused mining chemicals supplier founded by Calisto Radithipa, is investing $103 million to build processing plants in Botswana and Angola, a move designed to reduce exposure to geopolitical risks tied to imports from China and the Middle East.

The expansion signals a deeper shift toward local beneficiation in Africa’s mining value chain, as demand for copper and cobalt processing inputs continues to rise.

Building Africa’s processing capacity

The planned facilities will produce sodium metabisulfite (SMBS), sodium hydrosulphide, and flotation collectors such as xanthates, critical inputs in copper and cobalt ore processing.

Output is projected at 57,500 tons annually from 2027, scaling to about 250,000 tons by 2032, or roughly a quarter of Africa’s estimated demand.

Godfrey Johnson, Kemcore’s chief executive, said the company aims to capture “about 25% of the $500 million African metals processing market,” adding that local production will significantly reduce costs for miners.

Angola and Botswana expansion plans

Kemcore’s Angola project, already financed and linked to a rare earths development, will produce about 88,000 tons of sulfuric acid and 50,000 tons of caustic lye annually.

In Botswana, construction is expected to be completed by mid-next year, with supply targeted at copper and cobalt producers in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Market disruptions and pricing pressure

Calisto Radithipa, founder and chief commercial officer of the company noted that regional supply dynamics are tightening amid global disruptions. “Sulfuric acid prices at Tanzania’s port of Dar es Salaam are trading at a premium after the war disrupted sulphur shipments,” Radithipa said.

Localisation drive and global interest

Johnson emphasized the strategic shift behind the investment, stating: “Africa cannot keep exporting raw materials while importing the products needed to process them. The technology exists, the customers exist and the raw materials are here.”

Total project funding is expected to come largely from African investors, though Johnson noted that U.S. agencies have shown early interest as Washington seeks to reduce China’s influence in Africa’s mining supply chains.

From trading firm to integrated producer

Founded in Hong Kong in 2007 by Calisto Radithipa, Kemcore has evolved from a commodity trading firm into a vertically integrated supplier of mining and industrial chemicals.

With operations spanning Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and China, the company now plays a critical role in stabilizing reagent supply chains essential for Africa’s expanding mineral processing ecosystem.