MINING INDABA •
Customers will have access to improved data, allowing them the opportunity to interrogate their benches from the perspective of geology, drilling, blasting and mill throughput. The benefit extends beyond financial performance to ESG imperatives of customers – including the wellbeing of communities and the environment.
Africa’ s non-negotiable ESG imperatives In line with the energy transition, ESG has become an imperative for African mining projects. The question is no longer whether to integrate these principles, but how and under which legal framework.
ESG ensures sustainable extraction of 30 % of the world’ s minerals and 19 % of the metals needed for clean energy technology, enabling our customers to maintain their social licences to operate. This is in addition to enhancing the balance of power between mining companies and the governments of host countries. Our dual-salt emulsions have helped mines reduce greenhouse gas emissions during blasts to meet their decarbonisation targets. By using lower amounts of ammonia, BME’ s emulsions mitigate environmental contamination.
In a recent development, BME partnered with Sweden-based Hypex Bio to accelerate the uptake of the world’ s first hydrogen peroxidebased emulsions( HPE) in the Southern African Development Community( SADC).
HPE reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90 % and provides many operational benefits where it is used. This is considering that it does not emit nitrogen oxide( NOx) fumes and eliminates nitrate and ammonia leaching risks, provides potential savings in water treatment and ventilation, as well as faster re-entry times and is less energy-intensive to manufacture.
Committed to future African generations With our roots planted firmly on African soil, BME collaborates with governments and regulators of host countries to ensure that we meet their obligations, including ensuring locally compliant ownership, creating employment and skills development opportunities, and stimulating local business.
By facilitating industrialisation, job creation, and greater government revenues to improve essential services delivery for citizens, host countries capture more value from their mineral resources. In our West African markets, which have been attracting significant investment in gold and critical mineral sectors, this has become increasingly important.
Through various initiatives, we are also making an impact on high youth unemployment on the continent.
BME understands that Africa’ s rapidly growing youth population, which is expected to double to over 830 million by 2050, is the continent’ s greatest asset – if harnessed through job creation and skills development. An increase in working-age population will support improved productivity and stronger, more inclusive economic growth across the continent.
In South Africa, for example, young unemployed adults from our mining host communities are recruited into our blasting assistant training programme, where they learn a highly employable skill. Since the launch of this initiative, BME has absorbed 90 % of the individuals who have completed the programme.
Manufacturing of BME ' s explosives and initiating systems.
Furthermore, our graduate programme enables young adults to successfully transition from academia into workplace experience, a barrier to employment.
Notably, 80 % of the graduates who have completed the programme have secured permanent employment within BME, having acquired technical skills in blasting operations, project management, safety compliance and environmental stewardship. This prepares them for roles such as engineers, environmental officers and logistics co-ordinators, among the professional competencies that are aligned with our strategic objectives.
United in ammonia nitrates BME also leverages our parent company Omnia Holdings’ significant global reach, supply chain and manufacturing capacity, which is vertically integrated into ammonia nitrates. This offers African mining industries stability and assurance of supply at a time when other blasting companies are struggling to access these feedstock chemicals.
For example, our ability to manufacture products in South Africa and distribute them via a well-established distribution network has enabled us to tap into the renewed growth in the Copperbelt region, fueled by record-high copper prices and new investments.
To mitigate supply risk, we strategically invested in import capabilities, including a large fleet of ammonia rail wagons, which facilitates the transport and processing of ammonia with increased independence.
Our shared dedication to integrity forms the foundation upon which a resilient and prosperous future for African mining may be realised. By embracing these principles, we will strengthen our relationships with our stakeholders and promote lasting success and shared prosperity across the continent.
As we gather again at the Mining Indaba to map the way forward for the industry, it is critical to remember that through collaboration, innovation and trust, we can make African mining safer, more sustainable, and enhance its competitiveness for today and generations to come. •
We understand our responsibility to transfer skills and develop the local knowledge base. www. africanmining. co. za African Mining Publication African Mining African Mining • January 2026 • 47