Modern Mining January 2018

EVENTS

has emerged over the past 20 years as one of Africa’s most dynamic gold-mining compa- nies while Ivanhoe has three flagship projects in Africa, including the Kamoa-Kakula cop- per project near Kolwezi in the DRC’s Lualaba Province, which reportedly ranks as the big- gest-ever copper discovery in Africa. Platinum will come under the spotlight in a panel discussion entitled ‘Investing in Platinum: Opportunities for investors’. It will be moderated by Paul Wilson, CEO of the World Platinum Investment Council, while speakers will include several of the industry’s heavy hit- ters, notably Chris Griffiths, Neal Froneman, Steve Phiri (CEO of Royal Bafokeng Platinum) and Nico Muller (CEO of Impala). While the African mining industry has not really thrived over the past year, an excep- tion is the West African region, particularly Mali and Burkina Faso, where gold mining has been booming. Mali has seen two new mines, B2Gold’s Fekola and Hummingbird’s Yanfolila, come on stream in the past few months while, in Burkina Faso, Endeavour recently commis- sioned its highly successful Houndé project. In Côte d’Ivoire, Perseus is about to start produc- tion at Sissingué. Gold projects either in construction or at a very advanced stage of development in the West African region include Mako in Senegal, being developed by Toro Gold, Boungo in Burkina Faso (SEMAFO), the Ity CIL project in Côte d’Ivoire (Endeavour), the Yaouré project, also in Côte d’Ivoire (Perseus), and Wahgnion (previ- ously Banfora) in Burkina Faso (Teranga Gold). Representatives of most of the West African gold players mentioned above will be participat- ing in the Indaba, among them B2Gold’s CEO, Clive Johnson, Dan Betts, CEO of Hummingbird, Jeff Quartermaine, MD and CEO of Perseus, and Sébastien de Montessus, CEO of Endeavour. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Providing the foundation for sustainable junior and major mining growth in Africa’ and will set the stage for mining companies, investors, governments and media to make valuable connections, learn from experts and gain industry insight. A mainstage highlight includes Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President of Nigeria and Chairman of the Brenthurst Foundation, who will deliver a keynote address entitled ‘Partnership: A New Narrative for Africa’s Mining Industry’. More discussions will take place at the Sustainable Development Day on Tuesday, 6 February where Jeff Radebe (Minister, Presidency, Government of South Africa) and Mxolisi Mgojo (CEO of Exxaro and President of

the Chamber of Mines of South Africa) will be debating the role of social trust in mining. “Following accepting a memorandum from the Alternative Mining Indaba (AMI) at the 2017 event, for the first time ever, Mining Indaba is working with community and civil society groups to define a common vision for sustainable development in African mining,” says Grose. Another first for Mining Indaba is the Mining 2050 Innovation programme, which places a focus on where companies should be investing in the age of disruption. Industry leaders such as Michelle Ash (Chief Innovation Officer, Barrick) and DonovanWaller (Group Head of Technology, Anglo American) will discuss the latest disrup- tive technology and innovation strategies. With political risk being a major consider- ation for anyone proposing to mine in Africa, a keynote speech which should be of huge interest will be given by Lord Malloch-Brown, a former UK Government Minister and a for- mer Deputy Secretary General of the UN (and a noted proponent of Britain remaining in the EU). Among other things, he is an adviser to the Eurasia Group, said to be the world’s largest political risk consultancy. Finally, and staying with the subject of politi- cal risk, South Africa’s beleaguered Minister of Mines, Mosebenzi Zwane, is due to give the wel- coming address at the Indaba and his words will be carefully scrutinised not only by the local industry but by the international investment community to see if there is any likelihood that he will reverse his stance on the proposed – and highly controversial – revision of the Mining Charter. By the end of the Indaba, it should be clearer as to whether some accommodation is possible or whether the present state of ‘open warfare’ between the Minister and the Chamber of Mines is likely to continue – to the detriment of both the industry and the country. 

A typical scene from the Mining Indaba. In the past the event has attracted over 7 000 delegates.

Another first for Mining Indaba is the Mining 2050 Innovation programme, which places a focus on where companies should be investing in the age of disruption.

January 2018  MODERN MINING  27