Chief Executive Officer Peter Geleta told IGIHE that the twin milestones aim to transition the company into a mechanised, industrial-scale producer capable of advancing deep-drill exploration of a major newly discovered lithium deposit.
The upcoming Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) follows a definitive decision by the company’s board, with Geleta noting that the listing could raise between $100 million and $200 million or more based on comparable global mining debuts.
Scaling up tin production
Trinity Metals currently produces tin from its Rutongo and Musha mines at a combined rate of about 70 tonnes per month. This output is expected to remain stable this year while the company actively implements its long-term growth strategy.
Geleta noted that the company is currently putting down large underground declines across the sites, a development that will allow larger mining equipment to extract significantly higher volumes. Additionally, the company is conducting metallurgical testing and study work required to build dedicated processing plants at each mine.
Over the next three to five years, these modernisations are projected to push combined production from the current 70 tonnes to 100 tonnes per month in the medium term, eventually peaking at 300 tonnes per month once the plants are operational and the new ground is fully mechanised.
Expanding Africa’s largest tungsten mine
At the Nyakabingo mine, recognised as Africa’s largest tungsten operation, the company produced an average of just over 100 tonnes of tungsten last year, with a similar volume expected this year.
The company is currently finalising feasibility studies for a new processing plant, utilising South Africa-based engineering consultancy Obsideo. The study is on track to be completed by the end of this year.
“If we get the investment in, which we believe we will, we will start building the process plant next year,” Geleta said. “By the end of next year, we’ll be using the process plant, which will lead to a big increase in production.”
The incoming processing facility, combined with deep production ground opened up by major underground declines developed since October 2024, is part of a broader plan to scale Nyakabingo’s output to 300 tonnes per month within the next three to five years.
To support these downstream value-addition transitions, Trinity Metals plans to invest an estimated $150 million over the next three years to construct process plants across its operations. Each facility, which includes necessary tailings infrastructure, will require an investment of over $50 million.
Deep-drilling uncovers major lithium potential
Beyond its traditional 3T minerals, Trinity Metals is advancing exploration for lithium following a highly successful 2024 drilling campaign. The company drilled up to 800 meters deep, the deepest holes ever recorded in Rwanda, uncovering excellent deposits.
Initial geological modelling suggests estimated reserves of between 70 million and 100 million tonnes at an average grade of over 1%. If verified through an upcoming secondary drilling phase, the asset could rank among the top 10 lithium deposits in the world.
However, Geleta emphasised that immediate lithium mining is a secondary priority. The company’s immediate focus is on maximising output at its currently producing assets to generate the necessary cash flow to reinvest into further large-scale exploration.
Tantalum production temporarily paused
Concurrently, the company has not mined tantalum since 2022. The pause is strategic: Trinity’s tantalum reserves are located exclusively at the Musha mine in the Eastern Province, sitting directly within the massive, newly discovered lithium footprint.
The company plans to resume tantalum extraction in tandem with the future lithium rollout once the necessary exploration and extraction frameworks are finalised.
Financial position and global supply shifts
Geleta highlighted that Trinity Metals has grown significantly over the past four years and is completely debt-free, a factor that makes it highly attractive to international markets. He noted that under the right investment structures, the company holds the long-term potential to become a $1 billion entity within three to five years.
The company’s commercial strategy aligns heavily with Western supply chains, supplying high-grade tin and tungsten to long-term buyers in the United States, Austria, and Thailand under strict contract arrangements.
According to the firm, exports from Nyakabingo Tungsten Mine now account for up to 20% of all primary tungsten concentrate used in the US. Since the August 2025 agreement with Global Tungsten (GTP) and Traxys, Trinity Metals has shipped more than 320 tonnes of high‑grade concentrate to GTP’s Pennsylvania facility, powering America’s defence and industrial supply chains. Deliveries to GTP have doubled month-on-month.
Global supply shifts, particularly reduced tungsten exports from China, which controls an estimated 85% of global supply, have driven up commodity prices, directly benefiting Trinity Metals’ reinvestment capability.
Geleta noted that the current economic environment is boosting international interest in diversifying critical mineral supply networks, placing transparent, traceable partners like Rwanda in sharp focus.
With a workforce of 6,000 private employees, Trinity Metals stands as one of Rwanda’s largest private employers.
Geleta, a mining veteran with over 40 years of international experience across firms like Anglo American, Barrick Gold, and Acacia Mining, believes Rwanda is systematically positioning itself as a dominant and professionalised critical minerals hub.
