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David Minchin joins Eastport Ventures

Botswana-focused mining house Eastport Ventures has finalized its senior management team with the appointment of a highly accomplished capital markets Chair.

David Minchin (MGeol) joins as Non-Executive Chairman to the Board of Directors and brings over 20 years’ experience in both exploration/mining geology and corporate finance.

As Director of Geology for African Minerals Exploration & Development Funds, Minchin was responsible for allocating and monitoring US$450 million investment into exploration projects at various developmental stages and in various commodities across Africa.

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He excels in incubating, developing and launching mineral exploration and development companies in both the private and public markets – and as CEO for Helium One plc, grew them from a private company with market cap of <£5m to one of the most followed stocks on AIM with a peak valuation of >£170 million.

His latest company, Helix Exploration plc, where he is Executive Chairman, has been one of the most successful IPOs in London of 2024, raising in excess of US$14 million with the shares trading up at more than 200% on the IPO price.

Minchin says: “In my career, I have reviewed hundreds of exploration projects across Africa and have learnt to understand that the difference between success and failure is not just geological, but also the dedication and determination of the management group to get things done.

“The formidable team that Founder and CEO Burns Singh Tennent-Bhohi has built over many years of operation in Botswana is second to none and compliments the geologic attractions of the portfolio of projects that Eastport has developed. I look forward to working with the company closely with the aim of developing Eastport’s critical metals portfolio into highly desirable tier-one mining assets.”

Eastport Ventures is focussed on  critical metals projects spanning copper, uranium, REEs, nickel and diamonds in Botswana – Africa’s premier mining jurisdiction – and boasts six mineral projects that have benefited from strategic exploration and historic development expenditures of over ~US$17 million. Eastport’s incubation arm has also developed a multi-million-dollar portfolio of both publicly traded and private securities.

With full permits secured, Eastport is ready to engage on an aggressive 25,000m drilling and exploration campaign at its flagship Matsitama copper project, which will provide market participants with exposure to an advanced project benefitting from years of work and geologic understanding that has mitigated associated risk and demonstrated operational execution and results.

Matsitama has benefited from over 50,000m of diamond drilling, >115,000 soil samples and over a terabyte of geophysical data, conducted by Eastport and prior owners, which  also hosts the advanced Nakalakwana Hill copper deposit, which has demonstrated significant upside potential that will be determined through drilling at known targets

Furthermore, there’s a new special advisor to the Board in Keith Morrison, a successful serial mining entrepreneur with 40+ years global resource sector experience. He is Founder, CEO and Director of Premium Nickel Resources Ltd. and also founder of successful Canadian companies Quantec and QGX.

Eastport’s team have that rare blend of professional experience that has seen them exposed to all the critical vectors associated with the creation of economic deposits and mines. This unification of technical excellence in evaluation and a deep understanding of the nuances associated with capital markets – and recognising that the two must operate symbiotically – further validates what Eastport has been building towards over the years.

One particular advantage of having a focused portfolio of projects, along with a highly experienced board and management team in mining, exploration, and capital markets, is the option open to Eastport to explore different scenarios that can best augment value on a project-by-project basis.

Minchin adds: “It’s also rare in a private company that the directors have taken no compensation or free equity, which perfectly aligns us with the shareholders and shows real motivation and determination for Eastport to grow, develop and succeed.”

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Staff Writer

The African Mining Market is a source of insightful information on mining & industrial markets, and developments in Africa.
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