The processing plant in Ontario is expected to begin production in 2027 and process 80,000 tonnes of nickel annually.

The Savannah mine was part of a wider probe last year by Portuguese prosecutors into alleged illegalities in lithium and "green" hydrogen deals.

The state-owned mineral-resources holding company plans to use the proceeds partly to repay existing debt.

Entreprise Generale du Cobalt will soon launch pilot sites around the town of Kolwezi.

The top 10 solutions will receive a $25,000 each, become part of the Acceleration Program, and benefit from mentoring.

Created by government decree in December 2019, EGC was granted a monopoly on artisanal cobalt produced in the country.

Lithium is important for the e-scooter maker, as it plans to locally produce lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles.

The facility would have an annual capacity of 1,000 tonnes of lithium metal.