S16 ATR March 2020 Report post mining indaba_ATR - New Master Template 2016 19/02/2020 12:06 Page 46
MINING INDABA | HIGHLIGHTS
Innovations taking mining to the next level The 25th edition of Investing in African Mining Indaba returned to Cape Town in spectacular fashion with top representatives from the public and private sphere feeling positive about developments in the industry.
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nationalism continues to be a dominant talking point across the African mining industry. Exhibitors included Altaaqa Global Energy Services, Aggreko, Caterpillar, Kanu Equipment, Liebherr, Komatsu, Worley, Sasol, SRK Consulting, Seequent, Vivo Energy BVI Finance, (see chief executive Elise Donavan on the role of international finance centres, page 50), and Wärtsilä to name a few.
President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio delivering his keynote speech at the mining show.
Highlights
Image Credit: Mining Indaba 2020
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orty African countries were represented at the Investing in African Mining Indaba event in Cape Town last month to promote their mining sectors to a global audience of investors, suppliers and other major stakeholders. Their high-profile participation included a president, a prime minister, two premiers, three state secretaries, ten ambassadors and 38 ministers. Over the years, the Investing in Africa Mining Indaba has become the platform of choice from which country and mining ministry leaders highlight those aspects of reform, policy, opportunity and innovation that speak of risk mitigation to attract investor interest and position their country favourably on the continental mining map. On the opening day of the event the President of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, delivered a keynote address highlighting the country’s fiscal reforms, legal and regulatory issues, infrastructure and technology as well as the future mining labour force. He spoke of how Sierra Leone plans to strengthen public financial management systems and multilateral institutions to make the economy more resilient through diversification. South Africa’s Minster of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, who opened this, the 26th edition of the Investing in African Mining Indaba, used the opportunity to address a topical issue in the mining space, namely the self-generation of power by mining companies. He said that the government recognises that private power, particularly for selfgeneration, is essential to close the energy gap and will now allow mining companies to set up their
own projects. He also spoke of a potential government move to establish a new state-owned energy utility to ‘back-up’ Eskom. “By this time next year, we hope we can say we have a site for energy generation outside of Eskom. We want people to sell energy through transmission. We want to take the pressure off of Eskom,” he said. Mantashe added that government is committed to working with
AFRICAN REVIEW OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 2020
investors to enhance both policy and regulatory certainty. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Prime Minister Sylvestre Llunga Ilunkamba and Mines Minister Willy Kitobo Samsoni represented the DRC at the event. Prime Minister Sylvestre Llunga Ilunkamba called on all stakeholders to respect the changes made to the country’s mining code back in 2018, as resource
We want people to sell energy through transmission. We want to take the pressure off of Eskom ” GWEDE MANTASHE, MINISTER OF MINERAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY
Seequent, a multinational geoscience company, announced during Investing in African Mining Indaba its partnership with OreControl Blasting Consultants, the Denver-based developer of OrePro 3D software. OrePro 3D software allows geologists to model the movement of ore during blasting in order to delineate ore and waste more accurately for efficient downstream handling. The software’s use of 3D modelling and visualisation techniques revolutionises how geologists determine ore boundaries and select dig directions, yielding significant improvements over traditional 2D methods. OrePro 3D easily embeds in a mine's ore control process with seamless data integration with upstream and down-stream systems, and intuitive workflows. The software contains a tool showing the financial impact for the mine of different mining scenarios. Seequent’s GM Mining & Minerals, Nick Fogarty, said, “Mining companies continue to look for ways to improve their operating efficiency. By reducing ore loss and dilution, more valuable rock can be sent to the processing plant. OrePro 3D has already been adopted by
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