PwC to advise mining company on East Africa expansion

Marula Mining has engaged consultants from PwC to provide a variety of professional services in their move to expand their operations to Kenya.

PwC is set to offer legal, transactional, and tax service advice to Marula Mining, a UK-headquartered investment company that focuses on targeted investments in the mining industry, mostly in Africa.

Marula Mining’s investments tend to be in mines that provide the material needed for green technologies and batteries, including rare earth metals. The company currently has interests in mines in Zambia and South Africa but is seeking to expand to the Tanzania, Kenya, and Zimbabwe markets.

PwC is one of the largest professional services firms in Africa, operating in 32 countries in the continent. The firm’s work with Marula Mining will help the mining investor develop and grow its initiatives in the local market in Kenya, potentially through an acquisition.

The Big Four firm will also assist in optimising Marula Mining’s corporate structure throughout Africa and with legal and tax advisory services.

Kenya is rich in deposits of gold, titanium, iron, gemstones, and other minerals. Though there are opportunities for investment in these resources in Kenya, there are still some delicate issues to navigate, such as environmental protection measures, restrictions on foreign investment, and social issues like land ownership, displacement, and conflict over resource control.

Despite legislative reform and foreign engagement, small-scale informal mining is still the main form of mining in Kenya.