Modern Mining June 2022

REGIONAL FOCUS: SOUTHERN AFRICA

Experience, ESG, innovation drive region’s mining Mining has been an economic mainstay for Southern African economies in recent years, especially during the first disruptive lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic; the task now, according to Omnia group company BME, is to build on the momentum that has been created. Local knowledge

MD Ralf Hennecke.

T he region’s mining activity has shown positive signs as the world economy has rebounded, said BME managing director Ralf Hennecke. Sales in minerals such as copper, cobalt, gold, platinum group metals, iron ore and manganese have all benefited countries like South Africa and Zambia. For Botswana, Namibia and Angola, there are also better prospects for commodities such as diamonds, uranium and coal. “Although the recent Fraser Institute annual sur vey ranked many Southern African countries poorly in terms of their mining policies, these industries are showing considerable resilience,” says Hennecke. “The region is well endowed with mineral deposits and has the skills and experience to exploit them.”

He highlighted that the region’s real value lay in the institutionalised knowledge of the companies that operate here, and their understanding of how to respond constructively to prevailing conditions and emerging trends. Among the recent shifts in policy which will strengthen this foundation is a greater focus on local business participation. “As a result of our decades of involvement in Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries, we have a strong heritage that we are sharing with partners across the region,” he says. “Our business networks allow us to meet locali sation imperatives and to continue transferring skills.”

Better fragmentation of rock – achieved through quality blasting – optimises the energy used in downstream functions.

feature

20  MODERN MINING  June 2022