Africa

BASF, the world’s leading chemical company launched its new laboratory for mining on June 23 in Johannesburg. The new lab is based at MINTEK, the South African mineral research organization.MINTEK is one of the world’s leading technology organizations specializing in mineral processing and extractive metallurgy.

“Gold is a most conservative and passive investment, but the same cannot be said of gold mining in emerging markets. To succeed here a company must be flexible and on the move. Its management must be adept and have a keen eye for untapped value.”

This past Friday 14 June, Mr Motlanthe presided over a special mining task team consisting of labour, government and mining company representatives. Together the team have put together a ten page draft agreement to reposition South Africa’s mining industry in order to make it more attractive to investors and enable the sector to contribute further to social and economic development.

Having received route approvals from the relevant governments under Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASAs), the company, backed by Easyjet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, will soon fly to South Africa, Zambia and Rwanda.

Unveiled this week at the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh, the BRCK device is the brainchild of the Kenyan tech firm Ushahidi. Combining a rugged design with a range of connectivity options, switching between wi-fi, 3G and fixed broadband, BRCK came about as a result of a strong desire to move away from hardware that was never designed to cope with the specific issues faced in Africa.

It is not hard to see why Resource Generation, a company listed on both the Australian and Johannesburg stock exchanges, was attracted to the Waterberg region of South Africa and in particular to the Boikarabelo coal mine which it has been developing since 2008. The area, in the north-east of South Africa close to the border with Botswana, is very accessible, and the quality of coal in the resource unrivalled.

As with any country’s main airport JKI is the gateway to the country, and the people who fly in and out from all over the world, fairly or not, will judge Kenya by their first impression, gained as they struggle through the baggage reclaim and immigration checks. The first Kenyans they meet will be the airport staff. What greater PR opportunity could there be for a country and its people?

When considering the extraordinary level of social and economic growth that has occurred in Africa over the last ten years it is easy to forget that for decades it suffered from being seen as little more than a poor continent that could only be sustained by the giving of aid. Today the complexion of Africa has changed dramatically thanks to considerable local and international investment.

Mining activities have been taking place in Botswana since the nineteenth century with the advent of the gold rush in the northern part of the country and have since acted as the backbone of the country’s economy. This has been particularly true in the last four decades, during which time Botswana’s hugely significant diamond sector has helped drive the economy to new heights. Today the mining industry remains the main driver of economic activity in Botswana and is forecasted to sustain the economy further into the future.

Charles Siwawa, CEO of the Botswana Chamber of Mines, discusses the positive changes he has witnessed within the mining industry, what motivates him and what the legacy he hopes to leave behind.