Africa’s First Titanium Pigment Plant Secures $75 Million AfDB Backing

In a landmark move for African industrialization, South African entrepreneur Donovan Chimhandamba’s Nyanza Light Metals has secured US$75 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to build the continent’s first titanium dioxide pigment plant – ushering in a new era of mineral beneficiation and import substitution.

The facility, to be located in the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone, will produce 80,000 tonnes per year of high-value titanium dioxide – a critical ingredient in paints, coatings, cosmetics, and medical products – currently imported at great cost. South Africa alone spends over R1.5 billion (US$90 million) annually on 35,000 tonnes of imports; Africa’s total import bill exceeds R7 billion (US$420 million) for 150,000 tonnes.

Financing includes US$25 million from the Africa Growing Together Fund (a partnership between AfDB and China’s People’s Bank) and a syndicated package led by the Africa Finance Corporation and Afreximbank. The project is expected to generate 2,400 construction jobs – 30 percent for women and youth – and 850 permanent skilled positions, with targets of 45 percent female and 30 percent youth representation.

“This investment shifts Africa from raw-material exporter to value-adding industrial player,” said Solomon Quaynor, AfDB Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization. “We’re building an economy that creates inclusive opportunities and reduces reliance on finished imports.”

For Chimhandamba, founder and CEO of the 100 percent Black-owned Nyanza Light Metals, the funding is “a pivotal moment” for Africa’s industrial sovereignty. “We are reclaiming value from our own resources,” he said, “creating jobs, empowering women and youth, and positioning Africa as a global supplier – not just a source of raw materials.”

The plant aligns with the African Continental Free Trade Area’s goals by boosting intra-African trade, strengthening local supply chains, and diversifying South Africa’s export base – all while advancing AfDB’s strategic priorities of climate-resilient infrastructure, natural resource beneficiation, and private-sector-led growth.