The deal follows Cobre's selection in BHP's Xplor programme in January last year in which the smaller rival received $500,000 to accelerate exploration plans in its Kalahari copper projects in the African nation.
The agreement sees at least $5m of committed funding to be paid to Cobre within two years of its commencement date, with a planned budget of $7m for exploration expenditure starting next month.
"The partnership with BHP will provide us with the funding and support necessary to implement a technology-driven work programme designed to discover the Tier 1 deposits we believe may be hosted in our Kitlanya East and West projects," Cobre chief executive, Adam Woolridge said.
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