Australian Alumni attend Investing in Africa Mining Indaba

The Australian Government recognises that the continuous development of skills and knowledge builds enduring people, countries and professional links, and has the power to influence change. As part of the knowledge and professional links and opportunities offered, nine Alumni were supported by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to attend the Investing in African Mining Indaba, which was held in Cape Town South Africa.

This prestigious mining event brings together 6,000 industry leaders, including government and business leaders, regulators, experts and investors in the Extractives field, and is convened to forge a sustainable mining industry and to deliberate on current industry challenges.

The Investing in African Mining Indaba remains the preferred deal-making platform for mining in Africa and brings together mining corporates seeking investment, investors who want to strike deals and government ministers who engage both groups to discuss new projects in their countries.

Participating Alumni included Kouassi N’Guessan (Cote D’Ivoire), Alemayheu Elala (Ethiopia), Geogette Barnes (Ghana), Moses Njeru (Kenya), Bako Ranjevasoa (Madagascar), Hauwa Usman (Nigeria), Ntshele Phasha and Tryphosa Morolo (South Africa), and Augustine Mubanga (Zambia). An additional 17 Alumni supported African government Ministerial delegations from Ghana, Malawi, Niger, Uganda and Zambia.

Events such as the VIP lunch hosted by ENSafrica, the Women in Mining breakfast sponsored by AusTrade and South 32, the Mining for Sustainable Development (MSD) Breakfast hosted by Transparency International, and key sessions by the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) gave Alumni the opportunity to network with other industry members, collaborate in like-minded roundtables and flag potential investment opportunities, while strengthening the ties between Australia and Africa. Alumni were also able to mingle with key Australian private and diplomatic representatives in the Australia Lounge.

Moses Njeru,Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Chamber of Mines, participated as a panelist in the Kenya Case Study session, where he spoke about Kenya’s regulatory, geological and risk management strategies. Moses suggests: “Issues of shared benefits, corporate social responsibilities and environmental issues, among other concerns, were identified as key missed opportunities. Africa therefore needs to make deliberate efforts to align itself with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in mineral governance to ensure that mineral development, whether formal or informal, is conducted in a sustainable manner, aimed at improving people’s lives, while encouraging investors to make a return on their investment,”.

Visit the Africa Connect Facebook page where Alumni shared their experiences from the Mining Indaba.