North African exploration on WhyAfrica’s map in 2026
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North African exploration on WhyAfrica’s map in 2026
Several interesting exploration projects in North Africa are worth following in 2026.
By Leon Louw founder of WhyAfrica and editor of the WhyAfrica magazine.
The WhyAfrica team will have our eyes on a number of interesting projects in North Africa early in the new year.
Several EU countries, including Italy, are mending historic ties with more business-friendly governments in Ethiopia, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Libya.
Moreover, a growing list of junior explorers based in Canada and Australia have identified parts of North Africa as highly prospective.
An exploration boom
North Africa’s mineral geology and exploration sector is interesting with gold and silver deposits in Egypt and Ethiopia, and copper/zinc, phosphate and uranium exploration in Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Libya drawing most of the attention.
Egypt is experiencing a mini exploration boom. Egypt already hosts the prolific Sukari (owned by mining giant AngloGold Ashanti) located in the Eastern Desert close to the Red Sea.
Not too far from Sukari, TSX listed Aton Resources continues drilling targets and receiving encouraging results within the Abu Marawat concession.
The company expects to start producing at the Hamama West mine in 2027, becoming only the second international gold miner in Egypt while Nex Metals and Barrick have both secured a foothold in the Eastern Desert as well.
According to the publication Egypt Oil and Gas, multiple undeveloped Egyptian concessions awarded recently show regional grassroots potential beyond Sukari.
Morocco and Algeria on the map
New gold and base metal projects in Morocco and Algeria are progressing according to plan, while early-stage exploration in more risky jurisdictions like Libya and Sudan continues to be discussion points among exploration companies with an appetite for risk, many of whom are no strangers to entering high risk African mining jurisdictions.
Continue following WhyAfrica as we track and visit exploration projects across the continent in 2026.
We have just returned from an extended visit to Italy and Europe to find out more about the growing links between the EU and Africa, with a focus on a renewed interest in North Africa.
In 2026 WhyAfrica will undertake our fifth annual WhyAfrica Road Trip, during which we aim to visit more than 30 project sites on the African continent.
Image: Part of the North African desert. Image credit: Radwan Menzer from Unsplash.
North African exploration on WhyAfrica’s map in 2026