African Mining February 2020 | Page 11

The years following the period analysed in this report – 2019 to 2024 – are expected to see more sustained growth, with growth of 3.2% in 2022, 3.5% in 2023 and 5.9% in 2024. The Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) in Russia. institutions in Russia and Africa,” says Valery Karezin, director of educational projects and human resources at Rosatom. The University of Ghana, Kumasi Technical University and Kwame Nkrumah University of Energy and Natural Resources will all be implementing nuclear education programmes. The Russia-funded scholarships include tuition fees to Ghanaian students interested in studying nuclear energy related fields in Russia. Students will have access to subsidised accommodation, library funds and practical experience at Russian nuclear enterprises. “The goal of the scholarships is to support interest in nuclear research and capabilities among young African scientists and engineers. This will contribute to solving some of the world's most critical issues in the nearest future, allowing for the continent to industrialise, boost its economy and become self-sufficient,” says Ryan Collyer, interim CEO of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa. MOZAMBIQUE: DISASTER RECOVERY UNDERWAY The government of Mozambique has received several donations from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) to reconstruct infrastructure destroyed by natural disasters in the north and centre of the country last year. According to Ana Comoana, the spokesperson for the Council of Ministers in Mozambique, one of the donations aims to finance the development of the integrated project for rural roads, including the recovery and maintenance of roads, bridges and drainage ditches in the provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado, in the north; and Manica and Sofala in the centre. AFRICAN BUZZ  The forecast for this year is based on the continued decline in oil production, estimated by the government at 1.389 million barrels per day in 2019, which is lower than even the maximum limit of 1.481-million barrels per day set by the members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), due to the exhaustion of some wells and the lack of investment in prospecting in more recent years. The drop in oil production and, consequently, in exports will drive tax revenues further downwards, reducing the government’s capacity to carry out expenditure, along with more stringent conditions on granting credit to the economy, thus hindering consumption and investment. According to the EIU, a return to positive growth rates should occur on the back of a likely increase in production of non- oil sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing and services, as monetary policy loosens some of its current rigidity and the government continues to support these sectors as a way to accelerate economic diversification. The most significant growth of GDP for 2024 is the result of an expected increase in oil production due to the launch in October 2019 of the first auction of oil concessions since 2011, in deep and ultra-deep waters. The EIU report noted as positives the current drive to attract more foreign investment but restated that the control that politicians have over the economy, with resistance to change in terms of increasing transparency, will remain as an obstacle to the introduction of structural reforms. Source: macauhub PAN-AFRICAN: MINING AND SMART CITIES ANGOLA: OUTLOOK REMAINS BLEAK According to analysts from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) the outlook for economic growth in Angola remains bleak. Projections point to 2020 being the fourth consecutive year of recession. The EIU’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) forecast for this year is a contraction of 1.3%, two percentage points lower than the estimate of 3.3% for 2019, and the Angolan economy is only expected to return to growth in 2021, when it is projected to post a growth rate of 2.3%. www. africanmining.co.za African Mining Publication As mining’s contribution to state coffers in Africa continues growing, urbanisation becomes a natural progression as these economies develop. At face value this doesn’t really affect the mining industry, however, it is something mining executives should consider when mitigating the effects of extraction in developing countries. Africa has become a high growth area for city planners and architects, and the concept of ‘smart’ cities continues gaining traction across the continent. Source: macauhub Archibald F. Makatini GM for Sub-Saharan Africa at the Johnson Control MEA headquarters. The role of ‘smart’ buildings in accelerating infrastructure delivery in Africa was placed under the spotlight at a recent African Mining African Mining  February 2020  9