Malawi is said to have high untapped mineral resource potential with a very diverse resource base.

This was said during a weeklong Mining Indaba held last week in Cape Town, South Africa.

During the conference, which attracted high profile mining experts from across the world, Malawi was represented by Minister of Mining John Bande and senior officials from the ministry.

In his presentation, Bande, while trying to court more investors, said the mineral resource base in the country is very diverse with very high untapped resource potential.

He said mining currently contributes approximately 10 percent to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

"We are inviting more investors to come and explore and invest in Malawi. As a country we do have a good investment climate and Malawi is also very peaceful. Once all the mining upcoming projects are in full operation we expect our GDP to rise to 20 percent," said Bande.

He said the full mineral potential of Malawi is currently not sufficiently known though a number of companies both local and foreign are actively engaged in mineral exploration in various parts of the country.

"What we need is further geological work and exploration to determine and confirm real potential. That is where most of you come in," said Bande.

He cited some of the minerals of interest to include uranium, heavy mineral sands and rare earth elements.

Bande told the investors that Malawi has potential for indus¬trial minerals which include Iron sulphides, limestone, llass sands, ceramic clays, vermiculite and graphite among others.

He said plans are underway to introduce mining related courses at institutions of higher learning in the country.

Some of the countries that attended the conference include Australia, Canada, China, USA, India, Sierra Leone, Botswana, DRC, Niger and Nigeria