Modern Mining October 2020

Revisiting the licensing regime can unlock mining investment in Africa

T hat the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world in ways not seen since the world wars is no overstatement. We would all agree that no event since World War II has had as extreme a global impact as COVID-19. Apart from the public health crisis, the pandemic is leaving a trail of economic destruction on a scale unseen in generations. Going forward, the only acceptable response to such a crisis is to pursue a “great reset” of our economies, politics and societies. This is definitely a moment to re-evaluate the sacred cows of the pre-pandemic system, especially in the African mining sector. Some may choose to look at mining as a sunset industry plagued by rising costs, technical difficulties and political uncertainty. I am, however, of the view that mining is an industry well positioned for a new lease of life, notwithstanding all the ups and downs. Africa is still home to some of the world’s richest reserves of precious minerals and base metals and com- panies both large and small would like to exploit these. Some are doing so despite the political uncertainty. To provide context, the Minerals Council South Africa believes that mining invest- ment over the next few years could almost double in the absence of threats in the country. Mining investment could be the answer to resuscitating African economies post COVID-19. As you will see in this edition of Modern Mining , London Stock Exchange’s newly-listed investment company, Critical Metals Plc, is targeting acquisi- tions of brownfield mining opportunities in the strategic metals sector in Africa. Critical minerals are those that are essential for society and to the global economy, including antimony, hafnium, phosphorus, barite, heavy rare earth elements, scandium, beryllium, light rare earth elements, silicon metal, bismuth, indium and tantalum, among many others. Demand for many of these minerals has skyrocketed in recent years with the growing global appetite for high-tech devices. The rising demand for critical raw mate- rials needed for renewable energy technologies and e-mobility is also apparent, and many of these are found in Africa. The outlook for possible mining investment is therefore encouraging. Mining companies around the world are looking for growth opportunities and Africa, with its wealth of minerals, is a destina- tion of choice for many. Governments, however, need to revisit their legislative frameworks and create an environment that is favourable for

mining investment to flourish, especially the min- ing licensing regime. Looking at the current mining investment, development and production environment in Africa, the legislative framework, especially the delays in granting the necessary mining permits, remains one of the lingering barriers to possible mining investment. Governments of resource rich countries across the continent should strive to create an operating environment that is attractive to investment, thus setting their countries up for the much needed economic growth. In a recent one-on-one with Menar chairperson Mpumelelo Mkhabela, he noted that this could be achieved by, among other things, eliminating bureaucratic red tape, fast- tracking of licensing of businesses and easing the regulatory compliance regime. It is, however, encouraging to see that there is some effort in ‘resetting’ the licensing regime in South Africa. A case in point is the speed with which Menar was recently granted its regula- tory approvals for its East Manganese project. The R250-million project, part of the company’s planned R7-billion investments, was granted envi- ronmental authorisation in February 2019, followed by the mining right in August 2019. The latest in a series of regulatory approvals is the water use licence, which was granted in September this year. The company has, therefore, received all authori- sations, paving the way for mining operations. West Africa is a destination that has seen a favourable surge in gold investment in recent years. There are several drivers behind that, but one of the important factors is that West African countries have sound regulatory frameworks that are attracting foreign investment, especially their licensing regimes. Speedy regulatory approvals are critical in unlocking investment spend, thus creating economic growth opportunities for host communities and the country at large. Additionally, the mining codes of several West African countries provide many tax exemptions for mining companies. In Côte d’Ivoire, for example, mining companies are exempt from income tax for a period of five years following first production. Mining regulations are usually unambiguous and do not change often but, when they do, stakehold- ers are given enough time to plan and adapt. It is therefore not surprising that four of the world’s largest gold miners – Barrick, AngloGold- Ashanti, Newmont and Kinross – have significant footprints in West Africa, with a presence in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea. 

COMMENT

Munesu Shoko

Editor: Munesu Shoko e-mail: mining@crown.co.za Features Writer: Mark Botha e-mail: markb@crown.co.za Advertising Manager: Bennie Venter e-mail: benniev@crown.co.za Design & Layout: Darryl James

Publisher: Karen Grant Deputy Publisher: Wilhelm du Plessis Circulation: Brenda Grossmann Published monthly by: Crown Publications (Pty) Ltd P O Box 140, Bedfordview, 2008 Tel: (+27 11) 622-4770 Fax: (+27 11) 615-6108 e-mail: mining@crown.co.za www.modernminingmagazine.co.za

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Average circulation April-June 6 377

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher.

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2  MODERN MINING  October 2020