INSIGHT •
MINING OPPORTUNITIES IN SADC FAVOURS THOSE IN THE KNOW
With mining seeing a more sustained improvement in many Southern African Development Community ( SADC ) countries , fortune will favour those miners and supply partners with experience on the ground , writes Ralf Hennecke , BME MD for SADC .
It has been an encouraging few months for mining in the region . While the annual growth figures for March and April this year were expected – as they were off a low base from the Covid-19 lockdowns last year – the positive trend has continued from June . Strong commodities include iron ore , platinum group metals , gold , manganese , copper , and cobalt , benefitting the economies especially of South Africa and Zambia , improving prospects for diamonds , uranium and coal also make for some optimism in countries like Botswana , Namibia , and Angola . In the longer term , there is a hopeful outlook for platinum and other minerals in Zimbabwe .
The key to mining success in the region , however , lies not with commodity prices ; these will always be cyclical and unpredictable . It resides really in the institutionalised knowledge of the companies that operate here , and their understanding of how to respond constructively to the prevailing conditions and future trends .
Among these considerations are evolving regulations on local business participation and a heightened concern with safety and environmental impact . Responsible mining companies have embraced these principles , and it has long been standard procedure for service providers to align with the stringent expectation of zero-harm .
As the mining sector strives towards shared value , practical empowerment measures call for more proactive partnerships with in-country entities . Those industry players with a long heritage in SADC can draw more readily on their business networks to implement this vision . They will also see the value in preparing in advance to meet localisation imperatives . While some countries in the region have well-developed regulatory frameworks on this score , others are yet to implement their plans . It will be vital to be well-informed of future demands on business , and to plan decisively .
These in-country partnerships also imply investment in local infrastructure and skills transfer , to build capacity in the local supply chains upon which mines are built . A firm understanding of compliance requirements goes hand-in-hand with building a secure value chain that delivers fit-for-purpose solutions . Only if a mine can rely on receiving the inputs it needs , can it generate a secure future for itself and its host communities .
BME
Ralf Hennecke , BME MD for SADC .
In line with global trends , mining in southern Africa is seeing the active acceptance of environmental and commercial sustainability as two sides of the same coin . It is also a direction driven strongly by technological innovation . As the sector pursues the goal of smart mining operations , so the region ’ s miners are applying digital tools to streamline activities , raise efficiencies and reduce carbon emissions .
We are seeing this first-hand in the blasting sector , where the use of software , electronic detonators and other digital tools are constantly fine-tuning both the quality of blasting and the productive impact on the way mines work . By ensuring better fragmentation , for instance , energy use is optimised in downstream functions like loading and comminution – leading to less power consumption and a lighter carbon footprint .
Few of these innovations can be achieved , however , without decades of experience in the field , where mines and technology providers can develop and apply their technical insights . Nowhere
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African Mining • November 2021 • 47 |