Modern Mining January 2024

MINING INDABA PREVIEW

our panellists to move away from typical corporate messaging and start engaging on real challenges in mining to find solutions – in other words, showcasing how they are disruptive in the industry. Our aim is for stakeholders to feel inspired and connected with these messages.” Cornish says that what makes the event more relevant is the race to secure critical minerals as the world looks to contribute towards the overarch ing need to deliver an energy transition across the planet. “Africa remains the last truly untapped conti nent with the greatest prospect for delivering vast quantities of critical minerals and so this remains an underlying feature throughout our content. We will have strong representation from international governments and investors including the United States, Europe, Saudi Arabia and India, amongst others, all contributing their ideals for supporting the development of critical minerals industries in Africa. Importantly, our discussions will explore how the continent can best utilise its own minerals while still contributing towards global needs.” Events on the agenda – bigger and better According to Cornish, new on the 2024 agenda is a Junior Miners’ Day programme which caters specifically to juniors –an audience that has not experienced the strongest visibility in the past few years but is a target audience that has become a focal point. “Junior miners are the drivers of the next genera tion of mining and we want to ensure our content and our junior mining presence reinforces and explores this. Likewise, the addition of an Investor Day emphasises the need to hear directly from our investors and understand the parameters on which junior companies need to focus to better position themselves for funding.” Further to this, organisers have adapted pro grammes to reflect areas of greatest interest to stakeholders. First is the Intergovernmental Summit – a sin gle day programme that has now been extended over three days, starting from Monday and is, in essence, an extension of the closed-door Ministerial Symposium, but in a public forum environment. The summit has become the hub for government

Among the heads of state who have confirmed their attendance, is President of Angola, João Lourenço, who will deliver a keynote address to del egates. Further announcements of heads of state who have confirmed their attendance are expected in the run up to Mining Indaba 2024. “These distinguished leaders will deliver a key note address and share their insights on the mining industry, highlighting the importance of collaboration and sustainable development in this sector. Their presence reflects the global significance of the event and reinforces its reputation as a premier platform for discussing critical issues in mining,” says Cornish. Since its inception in 1994, Mining Indaba has continued to push the boundaries to provide del egates with an unparalleled experience in terms of content, targeting inclusivity while tackling hard-hitting topics. According to Cornish, the event has evolved over the years to include a variety of content streams and special sessions addressing diverse subjects of relevance. “These additions aim to support the theme of the event and provide valuable information to attendees. The 2024 theme: Embracing the power of positive disruption: A bold new future for African mining aims to elevate the audience experience for our panel discussions and all content elements within our programmes. To support this, our main stage has been rebranded Disruptive Discussions to further emphasise our content objectives. Our priority is for

A number of heads of states have confirmed their attendance at the event.

Distinguished leaders will deliver keynote addresses and share their insights on the mining industry.

40  MODERN MINING  January 2024