Endeavour Magazine March 2022

MARCH 2022 www.littlegatepublishing.com

Roma Park

CPD PROPERTIES

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Heads of Departments Editor-in-Chief Alice Instone-Brewer editor@littlegatepublishing.com Sales Manager Emlyn Freeman emlynfreeman@littlegatepublishing.com Sales Manager Andrew Williams andrew@littlegatepublishing.com Project Director James Lapping james@littlegatepublishing.com Corporate Director Anthony Letchumaman anthonyl@littlegatepublishing.com Lead Designer Alina Sandu studio@littlegatepublishing.com Founder and CEO Stephen Warman stevewarman@littlegatepublishing.com For enquiries or subscriptions contact info@littlegatepublishing.com +44 1603 296 100 ENDEAVOUR MAGAZINE is published

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Editor’s Note

I

t’s a short and simple note from the Editor’s chair this month. As a global magazine, our attention is always pointing outwards at the world around us, but whilst there are many places in the world that need our thought, prayer, help and attention right now, we can’t help but look to Ukraine. Whether Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will pull other areas of the world into it or not, this is a terrifying time for those forced to leave their homes, and those who cannot. It is a time to pause, to take notice and, if we can, to help. It is also a time to look at other global areas of conflict, and at the people forced to flee them, with renewed compassion and awareness, if our compassion needed renewing.

The world is moving on from the pandemic that used to dominate our attention, and we are thrilled by some of the stories of success coming out the other side of it. We’ve been able to feature many of them this month: thriving economic progress in Zambia, revolutionized pharmacies in Kenya and new milestones reached by several old friends from our past features. However, it is with heavy hearts that we look to Ukraine, and perhaps it is this melancholy that also prompts me to mention the passing away of a member of our team and family here. Whilst we said goodbye to him a few months ago, he is on my mind again today: so, we pour one out to you, James. And, we send our thoughts to everyone in and from Ukraine, and everyone else affected.

by Alice Instone-Brewer

Endeavour Magazine | 3

FTE DRILLING

Features 13

CPD Properties Limited

21

Yaya Chemist

27

FTE Drilling

37

ATCA

43

AngloAmerican

53

Diageo Guinness Cameroun

59

Mining Suppliers Association of BC

Roma Park She can

Knowing the drill Back in business Making a difference Quarter of a century

Supply and demand

71

Drydocks World

77

Hong Kong Shipowners Association

Ocean of opportunity

Smooth sailing

83 DRYDOCKS WORLD 4 | Endeavour Magazine

Boskalis

Taming the sea

YAYA CHEMIST

Articles 6 7 8 10 11

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64

Business Headlines

Europe Africa Americas Middle East Asia

Automobiles

Ford Mustang Mach-E

Amazing World

The Mysterious Roman Dodecahedron

DIAGEO GUINESS CAMEROUN Endeavour Magazine | 5

Business Headlines

Europe

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are pouring towards neighbouring countries to flee the Russian invasion. In the three days since the invasion began, more than 115,000 have crossed into Poland alone - some travelling for more than two days, others joining queues 10 miles long at border points.

Men between the ages of 18 and 60 are banned from leaving the country and have been urged to fight. Only women and children are permitted to leave, seperating families.

As the Russian invasion continues, thousands of ordinary Ukrainians are volunteering to fight to defend their neighbourhoods, despite many having no previous military experience.

The Ukrainian defence minister says that 25,000 guns have been handed over to territorial defence members in the Kyiv region alone.

In many cases, armour and camouflage are not able to be handed out. Civilians can be seen in ordinary clothing, armed with military guns.

Makeshift roadblocks had been assembled, steelworks factories are creating obstructions, and sewing factories are making sandbags.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been rallying the Ukranian people with his videos and speeches. Previously a comedian, not a politician, the world has been impressed by Zelensky’s ability to step up, lead and encourage in this time of crisis.

How will new sanctions hit Russia’s central bank?

Russia’s central bank has issued an appeal for calm amid fears that new financial sanctions could spark a run on its banks.

It said it “has the necessary resources and tools to maintain financial stability and ensure the operational continuity of the financial sector”.

The EU, the US, the UK and Canada have announced that the assets of Russia’s central bank will be frozen. Some Russian banks will also be excluded from the Swift payment system.

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The aim of sanctions against the Bank of Russia would stop it from selling assets overseas to support its own banks and companies.

A run on Russian banks would see too many people trying to withdraw money. Russia’s central bank has already been forced to increase the amount of money it supplies to ATMs after demand for cash reached the highest level since March 2020. Russia’s central bank has reserves of around £470bn.

European airspace closes to Russian flights after Ukraine invasion Russia has found itself almost entirely cut off from European airspace after an increasing number of European countries have been banning Russian airlines from their skies as a result of Moscow’s aggression on Ukraine.

Austria, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Ireland and Iceland said on Sunday that they are closing their airspace to Russian planes, while Sweden, Finland and Denmark said they’re preparing to do so.

Germany, France and the Netherlands also said they would enforce the ban, and a flight ban has already been introduced by the U.K., Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, the Baltic States, Romania and Bulgaria.

The bans mean that Russian aircraft won’t be able to fly over nor land in the countries that introduce them. Planes will also have to take routes around the banned airspace in order to reach destinations not covered by the measure, which will delay the flight time.

Russia has retaliated with similar measures against some of the countries that introduced the ban. Some of the EU’s major airlines, including German Lufthansa, Dutch KLM and Polish LOT, canceled their flights to Russia.

Ukraine has also closed its airspace to all civilian flights for safety reasons.

Americas Biden will not send troops to Ukraine American President Joe Biden has worked to publicize Russia’s growing aggression towards Ukraine, but has stated that Americans will not be sent to join the emerging conflict now that it has arrived.

The President’s reasoning includes the fact that the conflict poses no national security risk for the USA. This idea of national security was George H W Bush’s justification for involvement in Iraq.

However, previous presidents have gotten involved in foreign conflict without this reason, such as Clinton in Yugoslavia and Obama in the Libyan civil war. In both cases, the previous presidents sighted human rights justifications.

However, Biden opposed Obama’s intervention in Libya as well as his surge of troops in Afghanistan.

He also defends his order to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan last year despite the chaos and humanitarian disaster it left behind.

A recent AP-NORC poll found that 72% of Americans said the US should play a minor role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, or none at all.

Lastly, Russia’s nuclear warheads are serving as a deterrent, with America choosing to stay out of the conflict so as to avoid another Cold War or, worse, active nuclear war with Russia.

US braces for Russian cyberattacks as Ukraine conflict escalates The standoff between the United States and Russia over the conflict in Ukraine has so far mainly played out on diplomatic and economic fronts.

But now, as Russia invades Ukraine and the United States imposes new sanctions on Russia, there are concerns that may change. The US government is on high alert for the possibility of the conflict spilling over into cyberspace, where Russia has shown an ability to cause significant disruption and damage in the past.

Some of the biggest cyberattacks against US infrastructure in the past two years have been linked to suspected Russian hackers. The list includes the SolarWinds hack that infiltrated several government agencies in 2020, the ransomware attack that forced a shutdown of one of America’s largest fuel pipelines for several days last year and another attack on one of the world’s largest meat producers, JBS.

Russia has also been repeatedly accused of perpetrating online disinformation campaigns targeting the United States, as well as other nations.

Ukraine has already faced multiple cyberattacks since the conflict with Russia started, including one that targeted the website of the country’s parliament, as well as several banks and government agencies.

Emergency powers in Canada removed after blockade ends Senior government officials say Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will remove the emergency powers that police can invoke, following the end to the border blockades and the occupation of downtown Ottawa.

These blockades and this occupation were carried out a group of truckers who were protesting COVID-19 restrictions.

Trudeau said then the powers were still needed but noted they would not still in place a day longer than necessary.

The emergencies act allows authorities to declare certain areas as no-go zones. It also allows police to freeze truckers’ personal and corporate bank accounts and compel tow truck companies to haul away vehicles.

The trucker protest grew until it closed a handful of Canada-U.S. border posts and shut down key parts of the capital for more than three weeks. All border blockades have now ended and the streets around the Canadian Parliament are quiet.

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Africa Russia-Africa relations uncertain amid Ukrainian conflict Russia has played an increasing role in the African continent through trade, aid, military training and paramilitary security.

The South African government condemned Russia’s action in a statement, saying “it is dismayed at the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine” and “calls on Russia to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine in line with the United Nations charter.”

However, other African countries remained quiet as Russian forces pushed into Ukraine.

Russia has increased its presence on the continent in recent years and is expected to host a Russia-Africa summit this November.

Regardless of how African nations react to Russia’s invasion going forward, analysts say the continent will feel repercussions.

Northern African countries that import grains from Ukraine will feel disruptions in supply and price as had already been predicted by experts.

The conflict could also impact the availability of funding and resources for international development and aid that many African countries rely on.

On the other hand, the conflict is likely to bring opportunities for the continent.

Kachur says African leaders should call for changes in global power structures, especially at the United Nations. For example, Russia is of five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

Nigeria’s economy tops growth forecasts Nigeria’s economy grew faster than forecast by the central bank and government last year, after an expansion in the agriculture and trade industries in the fourth quarter offset a sharp drop in oil production.

Gross domestic product expanded 3.4% last year, after contracting 1.92% in 2020.

The Finance Ministry had estimated 2.5% and the central bank’s projection for 3.1% growth.

The full-year number was lifted by better-thanexpected growth of 3.98% in the three months through December from a year earlier, compared with 4% in the third quarter The median estimate of 12 economists in a Bloomberg survey was for a quarterly number of 1.4%. The non-oil economy expanded by 4.73% in the quarter from a year earlier, with agriculture growing 3.58% and services increasing 5%.

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This data points depict the growing importance of the non-crude sector and may convince ratesetters to increase the benchmark interest rate on March 22, after the full-year number exceeded the central bank’s forecast. Governor Godwin Emefiele has reiterated that the central bank will only make policy adjustments once the economy’s recovery is on a sustainable path.

Oil production fell to 1.50 million barrels a day in the fourth quarter from 1.57 million barrels a day in the previous three months.

While crude contributed about 5% to the country’s GDP, it accounts for nearly all foreign-exchange earnings and half of the government revenue in the continent’s biggest producer of the commodity.

Kenyan drought causes crops to fail Kenya’s agricultural lands are drying out as weather patterns change, causing many harvests to fail.

Some farmers have given up planting crops at all, as it is not worth the expense just to see them fail.

Climate change experts and humanitarian aid organizations are warning that Kenya may sink into the worst drought situation it has faced.

According to Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS), more than 4 million people will be in need of sustained humanitarian food assistance in Kenya for the whole of 2022.

An average of 200,000 to 300,000 households currently need support.

Households’ purchasing power will deteriorate as agricultural labor opportunities remain low, the value of livestock declines and staple food prices will go up, plunging the whole country into a food crisis.

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Middle East Turkey says it cannot stop Russian warships accessing Black Sea The Turkish foreign minister has said Turkey cannot stop Russian warships accessing the Black Sea via its straits due to a clause in an international pact.

Ukraine has appealed to Turkey to block Russian warships from passing through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus Straits which lead to the Black Sea, after Moscow launched a full-blown assault on Ukraine from land, air and sea.

Russian forces landed at Ukraine’s Black and Azov Sea ports as part of the invasion.

Turkey has control over the straits under the 1936 Montreux Convention, and can limit the passage of warships during wartime or if threatened.

However, the request has put the NATO member in a difficult position as it tries to manage its Western commitments and close ties with Russia.

Speaking in Kazakhstan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey was studying Kyiv’s request but said Russia had the right under the Convention to return ships to their home base, in this case, the Black Sea. Cavusoglu added that Turkish legal experts were still trying to determine whether the conflict in Ukraine could be defined as a war, which would allow the convention mandates to be invoked.

UAE not taking sides in Ukraine conflict The United Arab Emirates wants to encourage a political solution in the Ukraine conflict, a senior official has stated.

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The official added that the UAE felt that taking sides would only encourage violence.

The comment, posted by Anwar Gargash on Twitter, comes after the UAE abstained to vote on a draft United Nations Security Council resolution deploring Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

This did not pass because of Russia’s veto.

The UAE “believes that taking sides would only lead to more violence”, said Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president.

Gulf Arab states have so far taken a neutral stance between Western allies and Russia, with which they are partners under an oil producers’ alliance known as OPEC+. Saudi Arabia and the UAE also have investment and business ties with Moscow.

A Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) statement read out by Saudi Arabia at a U.N. General Assembly session affirmed the bloc’s “deep ties” with all parties involved and called for de-escalation, restraint and diplomacy to end the conflict.

Kuwait overturns law criminalising ‘imitation of opposite sex’ Kuwait’s constitutional court has overturned a law that criminalised “imitation of the opposite sex” that was used to prosecute transgender people.

The Gulf state’s parliament amended Article 198 of the penal code in 2007 to make the offence punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine.

February 23rd’s court ruling said the amendment violated the constitution.

Amnesty International called the development “a major breakthrough for transgender rights in the region”. Kuwait’s penal code still criminalises sexual relations outside marriage, and punishes consensual same-sex relations between men by up to seven years in prison.

One other Gulf state, Oman, has a law that expressly forbids expression of transgender identities. Saudi Arabia has no written laws concerning gender identity, but principles of Islamic law are used to harass transgender and gender diverse people, according to London-based rights group the Human Dignity Trust.

Asia Justice for Noor Muqaddam, diplomat’s daughter murdered by spurned suitor A court in Pakistan has sentenced a man to death for abusing and murdering the daughter of a former diplomat who refused his offer of marriage.

Noor Muqaddam, 27, was beaten, bused and beheaded by Zahir Jaffer, the son of one of Pakistan’s richest families.

The brutal killing took place at his home on 20 July last year. CCTV footage showed her trying in vain to escape.

The murder caused nationwide revulsion and prompted demands for more to be done to ensure women’s safety.

Noor Muqaddam’s murder by a man she knew in the same group of high society friends had dominated headlines for months.

It brought calls for an overhaul of Pakistan’s criminal justice system, which has very low conviction rates, particularly for crimes against women.

Hundreds of women are killed in the country each year, and thousands suffer violence. Many cases go unreported.

Bitcoin less green since China ban, research suggests Bitcoin has become less green since China cracked down on mining the cryptocurrency, new research suggests.

Mining refers to the process of creating new bitcoins using banks of powerful computers.

Bitcoin miners will generally attempt to move to places with plentiful cheap electricity in order to maximise their profits.

The specialised computers that verify crypto transactions consume large amounts of electricity.

In the past, bitcoin miners in China would move in the wet season from provinces with inexpensive electricity generated by fossil fuels, to those with an abundance of hydropower.

Forced out of China in June 2021, mining moved to countries such as the US and Kazakhstan.

Researchers say this could be why Bitcoin has become less environmentally-friendly.

The share of renewable energy powering mining fell from 41.6% in 2020 to 25.1% last August as miners stopped using Chinese hydro and moved to the US, where gas supplies much of their power.

Researchers estimate Bitcoin now causes carbon emissions comparable to Greece.

India begins evacuating its citizens from Ukraine A special flight left for Kyiv on February 22nd to evacuate Indian nationals stranded amid an escalating crisis between Russia and Ukraine.

Air India’s Dreamliner B-787 aircraft with a capacity of over 200 seats has been deployed, reports ANI news agency.

This comes as 150,000 Russian troops are positioned close to Ukraine’s borders.

India has told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that the safety and security of its nationals is essential.

“More than 20,000 Indian students and nationals live and study in different parts of Ukraine, including in its border areas. The well-being of Indians is of priority to us,” India’s Permanent Representative to United Nations, TS Tirumurti said..

Air India had announced on February 18th that it would operate three flights between India and Ukraine’s Boryspil International Airport that week, The Embassy of India in Kyiv issued an advisory on the special flights, tweeting that additional flights are being organised “in view of the continued high level of tensions and uncertainties of the current situation in Ukraine”.

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Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

ROMA PARK CPD Properties Limited chevron-square-right www.romapark.co.zm phone-square +260 96 9291791

CPD Properties Limited

Ten years since the project took flight, Roma Park has come in to land.

Developed by CPD Properties, what was once farmland in the fast-growing Zambian city of Lusaka is now a readyto-thrive mixed use development with services, amenities and heaps of potential. We last spoke to the Roma Park four years ago, and the sale of its lots was already well under way: now, in time for the project’s 10-Year anniversary, the Park has become a living world of its own, and it still has room for growth. Even more excitingly, Zambia itself seems poised for a new life, with a new government introducing incentives and initiatives that could mark a time of exciting growth in the country’s economy and private sector. We spoke with a CPD Properties spokesperson in celebration of both.

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T

en years ago, Roma Park was nothing more than an idea. The build’s concept: a development that would provide both commercial and residential investors a space that was well laid out, well deigned, well protected, and was conveniently supplied with all of its utility connections. Water, power, sewage – elements that developers must often worry about themselves would instead be taken care of, allowing those who come to Roma Park to focus their efforts of executing their vision.

This foundation provided by Roma Park was a vision within itself. The project was the first Mixed Use development in Zambia, and within it, the Zambian government arranged to trial another initiative as well: Multi Facility Economic Zones. A CPD Properties spokesperson told us more about the conversation: “When we first started Roma Park, we went to the Zambian government and said ‘We want to do this big development, and we want to make it Mixed-Use. Through negotiations, the Zambian Development Agency (ZDA)investment agency for Zambia persuaded us to set aside 25

Roma Park

hectares of land for this new concept that they had been pushing, which was these private MFEZ’es.

They would be kind of like a Free Trade Zone, offering occupants of that area with world class infrastructure, tax exemptions and various other incentives to do business there.”

The idea was a brilliant one – one that could provide a fantastic boost to the Zambian economy and turn this empty 116 hectares lot in Lusaka into an industry hub that would be profitable for all parties, as well as a safe and desirable residential area. The lot, originally a piece of farmland, was placed near established areas of enterprise within Lusaka, itself an extremely fast-growing city. However, even the best-laid plans can meet challenges, and in regards to MFEZ development, CPD hit a major challenge part-way through Roma’s journey.

“So, we made this agreement, and then not long after that, the government was voted out and a new one was voted in. For them, the MFEZ concept wasn’t a priority. They removed the

tax incentives, meaning Roma Park was an MFEZ in name, but not in reality.”

This could have been a major spanner in the works for Roma Park, which had committed a sizable portion of its land package promised to an initiative that had since, in essence, ceased to exist, yet still existed enough for the agreement to be binding.

Regardless, the project moved forwards, achieving excellence in other areas and riding out the storm to see what would become of the MFEZ. With a recent change in government, Roma Park saw a change in fortunes: “The new government has taken up this concept.

They’re extremely pro-business, they like the idea of encouraging investment, and not only have they added a number of incentives to the ZDAMFEZ Aact to encourage export, but they’ve also lowered the threshold for local investment from $250,000 to $50,000. They felt that MFEZes were targeting international investors, but why would you disadvantage local investors who are willing to invest in the same property?” This is fantastic

Endeavour Magazine | 15

CPD Properties Limited

news both for Roma Park and for Zambian business: restoring value to the ZDAMFEZ Aact restored value to an important portion of the Park’s offering, and for Zambians, this massive decrease in minimum investment opens doors that were otherwise closed. “From a tax point of view, Roma Park is now incredibly well-positioned going forwards. This is a clear message from the new government regarding its pro-business attitude.”

CPD’s spokesperson was as excited about this shift in Zambia as they were for Roma Park’s success – the two are intertwined, both regarding MFEZes as in a broader sense, as the healthier an economy Zambia enjoys, the more Roma Park will thrive. Plus, as Zambian residents, the team is passionate out of love for both business and their country:

“A lot of things have changed in Zambia. The new election, the new regime, has changed the whole pace of the country. We had a peaceful transition of power, which Zambia seems to do incredibly well, and we’ve experienced a new energy within the country which has translated nicely to all parts of the economy and industry.”

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The CPD team shared that they had seen a general uptick in business confidence in the country, which they largely credited to this new government’s measures. It has even created a Green Energy ministry, which, whilst only in its infancy, could lead to exciting change in the future. However, there are other factors also at play. For example, copper, like many metals and minerals, is at an all-time price high at the moment, and this industry accounts for a vast portion of Zambia’s economy. All in all, it is an exciting time to be in ZambiaZambian.

As the spokesperson put it to us, “Roma Park has definitely ridden the coattails of that”, but this undersells what Roma Park has already achieved by itself. Before this economic boost, the Park had sold 50% of its commercial plots and 100% of its residential lots. These numbers are a clear reflection on the differences between these two markets: when an economy is slower, people are slower to invest in business property, but the housing market keeps moving whatever the weather. The fact that 50% of Roma Park’s commercial side was still sold is also a testament to the quality of what it provides, and, since the change in government, it has seen these sales soar. Amongst the companies who now own

Roma Park

commercial property within the site, there are China Civil, one of the biggest construction companies in the world, and MTN, both of whom have their headquarters there.

So, where exactly is Roma Park? Built on what was originally a piece of farmland, ‘Lot 609’, this raw starting point was perfectly situated for both commercial and residential development. As the company told us, “We are quite uniquely placed because we are a commercial park and MFEZ between Lusaka and the airport, so there’s lots of opportunities for import-export business. We’re also so close to town. Lusaka will be the seventh fastest growing city in Africa. Because it’s growing really fast, the infrastructure doesn’t necessarily keep up with the city, which has a number of consequences.

The traffic is bad: we’re growing so quick, and the first thing someone buys as a new entrant into the middle class is a car. An advantage that we have is that because we’re close toin town, so we’re able to negotiate that traffic, but still beand we’re right in the growth node of arcades, East Park, Manda Hill.” All of this, plus the ease of utility provision, has made the park extremely desirable to developers.

Of the sold-out residential plots, 47% have had

construction completed, and the gated community has moved from a hypothetical to a buzzing, thriving reality. In 2018, the Park was even awarded Best Residential Development in Africa from the API, the Africa Property Awards.

In terms of job and value creation, the results have been fantastic. When the development was new, the first property sold for $28 per square meter, and now, CPD are selling at $90 per square meter. As for jobs, from formal employment to day work, the construction and overseeing of the project has had a massive impact. Even tangentially, it has affected local businesses selling tiles, cement and, even food near to the projectbuild site. “There’s a sort of microeconomy that has sprung up around Roma Park. I think there’s a lot to be proud of in that.”

When it started out, the strategy behind Roma Park was simple – here was a land package in the centre of Lusaka, a city that was growing quickly: its value would go up. From there, though, the vision went forth: now, in a city known for urban sprawl, it is an aesthetic, well-planned area with both security and flow. What was really exciting in all this was the way that the governments at the time ended up moving in the same direction as CPD –

Endeavour Magazine | 17

CPD Properties Limited

once someone starts the snowball of development rolling, it keeps on going, bringing both private and public sector with it.

“What has been nice to see is that as we, the private sector, made the investment into the services, the government has also come to the party in terms of providing. For example, when we came here, there was no road, and now there’s a four-way highway, and they’ve also invested in an electricity substation just opposite the property. There’s an unspoken synergy there. We’re just pulling in the same direction. It’s sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy in some ways, because so many people move here: all of a sudden, our agendas align. It’s not a structured cooperation, but it’s been a real success story, and I’m proud to have been part of it.”

Not content to sit around, now that Roma Park has reached its tenth birthday, CPD is already working on its next development project: Lions Hill, a 70-hectare development in New Kasama. Whilst the company is looking at future potential Mixed-Use builds, this project will be entirely residential, due largely to its location. Like Roma Park, it will be fully planned

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and serviced, with the addition of details such as plenty of open spaces and green parks. “We’re at the planning phase, and we are supposed to be breaking ground at the end of April. It will have 208 residential plots in a gated community: the Lusaka residential market remains pretty buoyant, so I think it will be a really exciting project.” The company is moving forwards with some lessons learnt from its experiences in Roma Park, looking to make Lions Hill even better, and the next development, even better after that. The company and its slate are on the rise, much like Zambia itself. It is a pleasure to be able to celebrate a company’s success along with national success at the same time, and the spokesperson we talked to was keen to drive this point home: “I do think that Zambia is such an unsold gem.

It’s a wonderful place to do business, to live, the people are friendly, and it’s on an upward trajectory.

It’s nice to be part of that. It’s so well poised, and I think it’s got a lot to offer.” The same could be said of Roma Park and Zambia both, and we’re thrilled to see that both are doing so well. In time, we hope to check back in on the progress of Lions Hill: in the meantime, it sounds like Lusaka is a potentialfilled city to invest in, and Roma Park might still have some space!

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

SHE CAN Yaya Chemist chevron-square-right www.yayachemist.co.ke

Yaya Chemist

Opened in 1989, Yaya Chemist has spent the past 33 years raising the bar for pharmacies in Kenya. Taking inspiration from her time abroad in Australia and the UK, the chemist’s founder, Smruti Patel, has sought to reinvent what a Kenyan pharmacy can offer and, in her own, she has been successful. We spoke with Smruti about Yaya Chemist and the services it provides, how it got to the point it is at today, its strides in empowering female employees, and her dreams for its future development.

Distributors of natural health and beauty products in Kenya and Uganda since 1995.

We are proud to be associated with Yaya Chemist and wish them every success as we partner with them on their journey to provide quality products and services to consumers

info@armaan.co.ke

22 | Endeavour Magazine

www.armaan.co.ke

Y

aya Chemist is located on the ground floor of the Yaya Centre, a go-to shopping centre in Nairobi. Its position within the mall makes it easy-access to anyone seeking medication or medical advice, and it has held this same spot since the centre first opened in 1989. “We’ve had the same location right from day one,” Smruti told us.

“The mall was under construction and they wanted a pharmacy, so we applied. Out of 50 applications, I was selected, and I started the pharmacy from scratch.”

Having qualified in the UK, Smruti went on to work as a pharmacist there for several years before returning to Kenya, where she soon found the field lacking in many of the extra offerings she had experienced. “I realised that there was a gap in the retail pharmacy industry in Nairobi at that time, and decided to open one of my own with services on a par with the UK.” Yaya Chemist and its team value accuracy and ethics, striving to provide the highest level of customer service that it can and priding itself on keeping pace with world trends. From the start, Smruti introduced a computerized system whilst other pharmacies were still working by paper, and she has continued to update this system as time moved on. The industry has progressed since 1989 and so has Smruti, and she still has plans enough to keep Yaya Chemist moving forwards for the forseeable future. “I’m passionate – I’m passionate about my pharmacy.”

So, what were some of the key, game-changing elements that Smruti introduced to Yaya Chemist?

One of the most important additions were consultation services: inspired by what she had seen overseas, Smruti invested in the staff and equipment to be able to offer tests for blood pressure, blood sugar, body composition, bone density and cholesterol, and to discuss the results and their implications with the customer. Yaya Chemist is not simply a shop, but somewhere that people can go to for a reliable opinion before they take more costly avenues:

“Some people don’t want to go to a doctor straight away, because everything is private here. Our tests are a very minimal charge for blood pressure monitoring, it’s about 100 KES, which isn’t even £1. For cholesterol or body composition, we charge 1,500 KES, which is about £10. However, we don’t play doctors: people have confidence that we will channel them to the doctors if necessary.”

She can

As well as these medical tests, Yaya Chemist has gotten ahead of a trend by offering herbal and homeopathic services, as well as counselling for nutritional health given by a qualified full-time nutritionist. The pharmacists and nutritionist also work together to advise on any interactions that may occur between nutrients, diet and the medications a patient is on, which is a service that would be more costly and hard to come by from a doctor. The store itself even sells glucometers, blood pressure monitors, humidifiers and malaria testing kits for people to use themselves, as well as mobility aids.

Finally, on the cosmetics side, the team includes a beauty assistant who is well-versed in both local and international brands, both of which are stocked.

Even ear-piercing services are provided, and with a well-versed beautician overseeing this side of the business, customers are in safe and well-informed hands no matter which aspect of the chemists’ services they are there for.

On the customer-facing side of things, these services were really what set Yaya Chemist apart,

but of course, over the past two years, life became more remote. It was during this time that Smruti and her team began to examine what they could offer remotely, instead of what they could add in-store.

The answer was deliveries. During the Covid period, the company launched two different approaches to handling a delivery service. To begin with, as an immediate response to the pandemic, the chemists started using WhatsApp: customers simply have to message with their order or a valid prescription, and after being prepared and double checked by a pharmacist and pharmacy technician, the order is out and on its way to them in less than an hour. This has proven an extremely popular system, with 10% of Yaya’s business now carried out in this way even after the pandemic has begun to ease up.

More recently, the chemists also launched a second online service – one that took longer to prepare. This was the Yaya Chemist website.

Currently, this website is set up for cosmetics sales only, as laws are not in place to allow prescription pharmaceuticals to be sold or delivered over the internet in this way. However, always looking

Endeavour Magazine | 23

Yaya Chemist

forwards, when Smruti commissioned her website she had it built for a full online service, medicines and all: this way, she is ready for the change as and when laws concerning chemists and ecommerce change.

All of this is fantastic, but for Smruti, reforming pharmacies behind the scenes was just as important as reforming customer experience.

This meant reforming the experience of the staff.

In particular, as a female business owner in the pharmaceutical field, she knew of the challenges faced by her fellow female pharmacists, and was passionate about making a difference. As it stood, obstacles made it difficult for women to stay in their profession once having a family: after training, qualifying and committing to this field, needing to drop out of it was not only unfair on the women losing their career, but a terrible loss for Kenya.

Smruti decided, in her pharmacy at least, to make a change:

“I knew how hard it was to run a pharmacy as a working mum, juggling things at home.

Every mother in a profession faces this challenge, but a pharmacy has long hours, as well.” For the sake of their customers having ease of access, Yaya Chemist not only has long opening hours, but also stays open on Sundays and all public holidays. This burden can be shared equally between the team, to make sure that everyone has a home-work balance, but it can still make things difficult for a mother who is expected to look after her children as well to hold their own within a team. Smruti didn’t want to see talented and qualified women leaving the profession because of this. She responded by allowing flexible and part-time working hours. “It has made a huge difference. Even if it’s half a day or a few hours, they’re still professionally connected.” This change has allowed Smruti to employ a largely female team, and this focus on the preservation of female pharmacists’ careers, and other female employees’ careers as well, has had a huge impact on their worklife balance and, ultimately, their futures.

Another way in which Smruti empowers her staff – male and female – is through group presentations.

Her staff take it in turns to give each other 30-minute presentations on different subjects that fall within their individual medical expertise, thus further educating the rest of the team as 24 | Endeavour Magazine

well as encouraging her staff’s confidence in their own knowledge and public speaking abilities. This confidence is paid forwards, as Smruti encourages all staff to be creative in helping their customers, for example in proposing alternative solutions when a particular product is not available.

This much thought and effort, both towards customers and staff, paid off: in 2009, Yaya Chemist was given an award marking it as one of the best pharmacies in Kenya, and Smruti has been approached repeatedly by other malls asking her to branch out into their locations. However, for Smruti, she would currently prefer to concentrate on making her current store as good as it can be, rather than splitting her focus. “I work not for money, but for passion. I just believe in giving good service and in using my knowledge to the best level I can.” However, this interest could mark a change for Kenyan pharmacies, if more of Smruti’s competitors begin to follow suit and implement more of the services and resources that Yaya Chemists provides.

Those services don’t stop coming, either. As well as continuing to establish and expand their new delivery systems and online presence, Smruti is already looking forwards to the newest additions she

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She can

would like to bring in to Yaya Chemist’s repertoire.

Wisely, she intends to bring these in gradually and to stagger the change, both so that her customers and her staff don’t have too much too fast. However, she’s always looking to the next step: “Customers might have a lot of drugs at home – drugs from over the counter, drugs from the pharmacy, drugs from years ago. So, I would like to start a yearly Brown Bag Review, as I would call it.

The idea is that they bring their drugs from home in a brown bag, and we review it all. Are they taking it properly? Has it expired? Do they need it? I would also like to do a multiple drug check-up – that is, if someone is on multiple drug therapies, we provide a medication review. This is especially important for elderly patients – sometimes, they are taking so many drugs, and there are so many interactions that they may not know about. So, that is another service I would like to offer – there is nothing like that here at the moment.”

As a part of the coming Brown Bag review, and already existing as a service, Yaya Chemist is able to safely dispose of people’s expired medicine for them: rather than sending it to a landfill, the safe way to dispose of it is by incineration. This is something

Yaya does for its own expired drugs, and is able to take in ones from the public as well. “Giving that awareness to the public is important: people might just throw it in the gutter, but if they bring their Brown Bag, we can advise them and dispose of it for them.” This is a part of Yaya Chemist’s attempts to be responsible towards the environment: also to this end, it has a no-plastic policy, and is cautious to incinerate collected expired stock once every six months, rather than frequently.

Overall, what Smruti has created is fantastic: having built it up from scratch and now not only ‘keeping up’ but leading the way, it is no surprise that other malls have approached Smruti themselves.

Whilst Yaya is currently staying put, its message travels outwards, showing what can be done and encouraging, even daring others to do the same.

This could, hopefully, be the beginning of an exciting shift, and one that we’ll watch with interest.

The additional services, or the important shift for female pharmacists – if either of these could take off, it would make an incredible change. If both do, then all the better! Whatever happens, we’ll know where to look to credit where it began.

Endeavour Magazine | 25

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

KNOWING THE DRILL FTE Drilling chevron-square-right www.foragefte.com

FTE Drilling

Founded 35 years ago, FTE Drilling provides its services over a wide reach, with offices and operations in Canada, West Africa, the USA and South America. We spoke with Vincent Gonthier, FTE Drilling’s Director of Business Development, about the company’s recent expansions, future plans, and what it is that Vincent feels sets FTE apart from its competitors.

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D

rilling is essential in a variety of heavy industries: mining is a major one, requiring it for both exploration and production, and construction is another, be that commercial, residential or industrial. Geotechnical investigations, water supply – it all calls for drilling, and in the regions where its operations are established, FTE Drilling is known as an authority in providing it. What’s more, the company is happy and able to tackle a vast range of project sizes, from small-scale construction to major undertakings. As FTE states; “Our client base is as varied as the different services we offer, but notably we work for mining operations, junior exploration companies, municipalities, engineering firms, all the way to individual home owners looking for an environmentally friendly way to heat/cool their property!”

The company was established in 1987, and since then, it has worked to build an extensive resource not only of specialized equipment, but also a trained and specialised team. At present, the company employs around 800 people worldwide, all of whom it makes sure to keep up to date with the latest developments in the field. Speaking with Vincent Gonthier, he told us; “We’re proud to offer various safety and technical training to entry-level crews and specialized continuous training in the different trades that make up our team. Technology in the drilling industry is fast evolving and it’s crucial to provide adapted support for trades such as electro-mechanic technicians and drill fitters if we want to ensure we continue offering our clients a high level of productivity within a safe environment.”

Working on a wide range of projects, and in varying sizes, Vincent explained how it was the company’s versatility that was one of its key strengths, as well as the talented and dedicated team who make that possible: “FTE Drilling is one of those ‘big but small’ companies that has kept its flexibility to react, adapt or make appropriate changes to the challenges faced very quickly. The founders of the company and several of their family members are still heavily involved with day-to-day operations, and key individuals who have joined the team have brought in very high-level business management expertise. Most importantly, to this day, the core management group profile takes its professional roots in drilling, ensuring we never lose sight of our reason for being.”

Headquartered in Sherbrooke, Quebec, the company has had an international presence since its founding year, with at least one operation in each region it holds a presence in today. This

Knowing the drill

presence has continued to spread and grow across these areas, and lately, the home front has seen particular activity. “We are experiencing very strong growth across the country over the last few years,” Vincent told us, speaking of Canada. This is, in part, due to the mining industry going through an extremely healthy period – though, happily for FTE Drilling (and no doubt a reason for their placement strategy), every country it operates in has a strong mining tradition.

“Although by nature a cyclical business, the mining sector has been thriving, especially in the gold market, for close to a decade with no signs of letting down,” Vincent told us. “Some jurisdictions can be more challenging than others to operate in, however. West Africa and its security issues come as a prime example of a geographical location where this factor has had a direct impact on the operational cost for companies.” In Canada, this mining boom plus an environment with fewer working challenges has led to a dynamite combination.

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With sales, parts, and service centers in more than 17 countries, Schramm provides global end-to-end customer support. Schramm is a proud supporter of FTE Drilling, and is excited to contribute to their fleet.

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www.schramminc.com Endeavour Magazine | 29

FTE Drilling

In developing this strong reputation within the mining industry, FTE Drilling has been able to work with many of the major names of the sector: Nordgold, Iamgold, Endeavour Mining, Barrick, Newgold, Duco Mining Supplies, Atlas Copco, Schramm Ltd, Sandvik and St. Barbara Ltd, to name a few. These relationships have been earnt and built up over time, and all are close to the company’s heart, but there was one in particular that Vincent was keen to highlight to us, as it represents a time when a company gave FTE Drilling a chance in a fresh area of operations: “I want to point out that High River Gold, a Canadian junior exploration company that eventually became part of the Nordgold group, gave us our first chance in exploration drilling in West Africa in 2008.”

As well as opening up new horizons through these votes of confidence, these relationships also support FTE Drilling in developing its future by giving it a stable financial foundation upon which to build: “We are fortunate to have a number of longterm contracts with key partners on both sides of

30 | Endeavour Magazine

the Atlantic that makes us confident investing in new equipment and evaluating potential for valueadded partnership on the market.” Last year saw the completion of just such an investment: a new drill rig building facility, which the company has had constructed at its headquarters in Quebec. “This is a major milestone in the company’s history,” Vincent told us, “And will set the foundations for supporting company growth.”

“On the business development front,” he continued, “We’ve recently executed our first ever contract in Guinee Conakry, and are about to move two more rigs on a multi-year contract into country during Q1-2022. In Canada, we’ve executed (amongst many) two very successful contracts with the NewGold and Greentsone projects in RC and DD drilling in Ontario. We are also recently making headways with grade controls contracts in the Carolina’s slate belt on the US eastern region.”

Knowing the drill

Moving forwards, the company plans to continue increasing its presence in the USA with an up of its reverse circulation drilling operations, and to continue its growth in Canada through an increase in diamond drilling meters. However, as well as growing its business, it aims also include upping how cleanly the company operates, as well as continuing with its current CSR endeavours. Starting out with its green initiatives, we asked Vincent how FTE Drilling manages its environmental impact whilst it is working: “FTE Drilling’s environment protection program is greatly immersed throughout all decision-making processes within the company. Leaving as little footprint as possible on an environmentally sensible exploration project starts by our fleet management department choosing amongst our large choices of adapted machinery, perhaps opting for low impact rubber crawler over a truck mounted rig. It can also mean keeping at the forefront of technology in dust control sampling equipment for RC drilling, benefiting our client’s work environment while protecting the health of our employees.” These are some specialised answers, reflecting how seriously FTE Drilling takes its responsibility towards the areas it operates in, rather than simply ticking the standard boxes. “Recycling, yes, but more than ever, looking at what we can do to consume less of everything wherever possible.”

As for CSR, this is where FTE’s care for the areas it works in moves on from damage prevention and goes beyond, into proactive, positive change. “We are engaged locally wherever our operations bring us; whether it be providing complimentary water supply solutions to mine impacted communities in Kédougou- Senegal, helping fundraising initiatives for the annual MS Walk Association in MontérégieQuébec, or making annual donation of dry goods, clothing and hygiene products to the Association for Women with Obstetric Fistula Medical Condition in Ouagadougou- Burkina Faso.” It is the aim of these various initiatives, Vincent told us, to “have a direct impact on the less fortunate“, so that FTE’s presence in an area produces a tangible positive outcome for the local communities.

Vincent has been with FTE for around 12 years now. Originally joining the team to assist with an expansion, he never left, and has since risen into the crucial Director of Business Development role. “I’ve been happily part of the FTE team since 2010. I initially came in to assist with the company’s rapid expansion into West Africa and had the opportunity to

participate and lead in the implementation of many different departments within the current structure.”

We asked Vincent what his advice was when it comes to leadership: having joined a team at a tumultuous time of change, and since been with the same company through many other such periods, including the recent pandemic, we asked for his insights on how to inspire a team to excel: “Leading by example, but also promoting leadership from within your teams. Ensuring that everyone has a clear understanding that, by combining our strengths, we not only go further as a team but also allow our individual potentials to grow.” This is a fantastic outlook, and one that can lead to a bright future for a company, both as a whole and, as Vincent rightly says, for all those working within it.

As it continues its growth and maintains its focus on specialisation and excellence, it seems that same positivity is set to continue benefiting their clients, too, as well as the communities around their work.

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Endeavour Magazine | 31

Automobiles

FORD MUSTANG MACH-E Starting at $43,895

32 | Endeavour Magazine

Speeding off into 2022, there’s no better time to talk about electrical vehicles. Charging stations are more prevalent than ever before, consideration for the environment is growing ever-higher in people’s priorities, and petrol prices keep on climbing.

Not too long ago, it felt as though there were only a few desirable EVs on the market, but now, every major name in car manufacturing has its hat in the ring. EVs are now available at a range of prices, from practical to luxury, with models ranging from sports cars to family vehicles. We chose to start off our 2022 run-down of electric vehicles by looking at the Ford Mustang Mach-E, which to our mind, is a proud contender right in the middle of the mix, with impressive specs and a beautiful look for a fair, high-mid level price.

As Ford describes the 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E: “Built from all the passion of its iconic heritage, Mustang Mach-E is the new shape of freedom. Get in ready for 0–60 thrills, expansive range and zero

tailpipe emissions.” The vehicle is capable of going from 0-60pmh in around 5 seconds in its 346bhp allwheel-drive version.

This model is Ford’s first all-electric SUV. Unlike the ‘mustang’ that springs to mind, this is no sports car. Instead, as any good SUV should be, it is practical, handles well, and it has a fantastically convenient loadspace for its boot. The top of the boot lifts up from far further back than normal, basically giving you a trailer to load as much as a boot, which opens up room and also makes loading much easier.

This car aims to be a smooth and effortless experience from the moment you get in. Using an E-Latch system that’s a smoother advancement on previous Ford e-locks, you simply need to approach your car with your key fob on your person, and you

can open it with the touch of a button on the door hand. No more reaching for your keys! Even better, if you wave your foot under your back bumper whilst you have your key fob on your person, the boot will open. This hands-free boot is perfect for if you have your arms full!

We were impressed to see that the Mustang Mach-E comes with a generous range of features as a part of its standard, starting price kit. For example, from the standard option upwards, the Mustang Mach-E comes with Ford Co-Pilot360™ driver-assist technology, which includes features such as the Ford BlueCruise.

With technology that originally seemed limited to the likes of Tesla, Ford now offers the ability to operate your e-car hands-free while being monitored by a driver-facing camera to make sure you’re keeping your eyes on the road. For American buyers, this feature is compatible on prequalified sections of divided highways called Hands-Free Endeavour Magazine | 33

Blue Zones that make up over 130,000 miles of North American roads.

As well as this all-out auto driving, the Mustang Mach-E also makes your driving experience easier in other ways. It comes with an active park assist, blind spot information, has an auto high beam and aids you in evasive steering.

Ford’s Co-Pilot360™ software also gives you access to the BlueOval™ Charge Network, one of the largest public charging network in North America and the UK offered by automotive manufacturers. This raises an essential point: when talking about EVs, it’s important to talk about battery. Within this model’s range, the batteries available begin at a 68kWh ‘Standard Range’ battery variant with either rear or four-wheel drive. The rear-wheel drive option is capable of 273 miles per charge, whereas the four-wheel drive is capable of 243 miles. However, if you upgrade to the 88kWh ‘Extended Range’ options, the rear-wheel drive can offer up to 379 miles per charge and the all-wheel drive can offer 335.

34 | Endeavour Magazine

One way in which the car saves energy and extends its battery life is through using a ‘one pedal system’. Whilst the car has a break, for sudden stops, you can also simply take your foot off of the accelerate pedal and the car will smoothly bring itself to a stop.

The Mustang Mach-E has three different ‘driving modes’ that you can switch between to suit your preferences. These affect aesthetic details such as engine sounds and lighting, as well as practical details such as the responsiveness of its steering.

These three modes are called Active, Whisper and Untamed. Talk about customisation!

Elements such as many of these are perks that non-electric vehicles simply do not enjoy. This car even receives software updates to keep it running smoothly and at Ford’s most optimised level. It’s a different kind of SUV, but it’s the SUV of the future.

Endeavour Magazine | 35

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

BACK IN BUSINESS Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism (ATCA) chevron-square-right www.tcaabudhabi.ae phone-square + 971 2 444 0444

Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism (ATCA)

For most countries, the tourism industry took a severe hit over the past couple of years, in many cases grinding to a complete stand-still as a pandemic brought the world to a halt. Now, with such measures a thing of memory for many countries, tourism is once more on the move.

Some companies and ventures did not survive the two years of struggle, and others are starting up again as a scaled-down version of what they’d used to be, whereas others have managed to weather the storm relatively unscathed. Such a time brings a spectrum of questions and concerns, and in Abu Dhabi, it is the job of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) to navigate them.

38 | Endeavour Magazine

B

efore the pandemic, and even now, the tourism industry is an economic backbone for many countries that provides essential income and employment; but more than this, it can also push a country to preserve and invest in its culture and heritage. By protecting historic buildings, maximising modern infrastructure and directing more funds and attention to the arts, tourism can inspire and enable a country to be the best version of itself.

All of these are reasons why it is critical for tourism to survive and thrive, and departments such as DCT Abu Dhabi must be ready to take on the twin challenges of offering advice and support to the companies and organisations now operating, and also encouraging the public back towards vacations and events. The Department’s mandate from the Abu Dhabi Government is to build and grow a tourism industry there and ensure the preservation and exposition of the emirate’s heritage, whether it be physical sites or trades and traditions such as poetry and dance. However, DCT Abu Dhabi’s role goes even further, as one of its core objectives is

Back in business

to establish Abu Dhabi as a cultural centre in the region. After all, build it, and they will come.

To draw tourists to the capital, therefore, DCT Abu Dhabi has been focusing on two key areas: firstly, the city must be able to run this industry in an efficient, operational manner; and secondly, it must be culturally rich. The first objective involves aspects such as the recruiting and training of suitable employees, creating and/or supporting the creation of city infrastructure, and communication & co-operation with other government agencies.

On the cultural side, this goal includes the support of artistic and cultural education, from developing artists to museum curators, as well as the preservation and promotion of cultural and historic sites. These sites include important ones for the region such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum, Qasr Al Hosn, the Al Ain Museum, and others, not to mention a range of local attractions such as the famous dates market right through to the Qasr Al Watan Library, located in the Presidential Palace. Nature provides wonders that are important to preserve, as well, such as the

striking Abu Dhabi and Al Ain desert, where luxury hotels overlook breath-taking landscapes of rolling sand dunes.

Although international travel halted for a while, now that it is back in action, the UAE holds the appeal of being easy to reach from many directions. In terms of its location, it is a convenient destination from many directions; you can reach Abu Dhabi within six hours from Europe, Russia, East Africa and India, and from China the journey is not much further. Going by its usual statistics, the country’s biggest sources of overseas visitors have been India and China, partly due to their proximity and, in both cases, partly due to a relaxation of visa laws that makes travel between the UAE and these countries far easier.

Abu Dhabi also receives many visitors from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, and cruise ships pulling into Abu Dhabi Port seems on track to

Endeavour Magazine | 39

Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism (ATCA)

become a growing source of holiday-makers. As destinations go, it is probably one of the safest the world has to offer, with security standards extremely high throughout the UAE, particularly in the capital – another strong draw for holiday-makers from other nations.

As one can guess from the name, DCT Abu Dhabi focusses on Abu Dhabi itself, but it also looks beyond the city, both towards its potential tourist market and also to the wider organisations and individuals it can work with, be these airlines, architects or artists. By working with talent both within the UAE and beyond, it can bring out the very best that Abu Dhabi’s potential has to offer. For instance, the Department works closely with Agence France Museum for the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and the British Museum for the Sheikh Zayed Museum.

As well as these grand overseas partnerships, DCT Abu Dhabi has set up a host of local and international partnerships that provide niche, essential services, such as suppliers for art works and antiques, specific construction and preservation groups, and performers for events. In fact, associations with various festivals keep the city in wealthy supply of symphonies, ballets and dance shows.

All of this is a great achievement, but it is not the end of the story. DCT Abu Dhabi’s mandate from the Abu Dhabi Government is not focused purely on the success of its tourism industry, however, but on how this industry then impacts Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a whole; this wider look therefore puts great emphasis on the development of local businesses. DCT Abu Dhabi is therefore tasked by the government to “engage with and develop a sustainable, local supplier base”. Whilst its people have a long and rich history, the UAE itself is still a relatively young country, and therefore, there are some gaps in the supply chain that need assistance in order to be filled.

DCT Abu Dhabi’s involvement in this builds a stronger future for the tourism industry and for the country, as the Department helps to create a city more and more capable of supporting the DCT on its own. These direct contributions to the local economy are some of DCT Abu Dhabi’s most crucial operations, and post-pandemic, especially so.

40 | Endeavour Magazine

As well as DCT Abu Dhabi’s responsibility to the working peoples of Abu Dhabi as a whole, it also has a responsibility to its own staff. The organisation is proud to state that it has been its policy to have gender-equal hiring and pay practices since before this became compulsory for all government entities within the country.

The organisation works closely with its staff to make sure they are developing and are well looked after; this input ranges from access to education and further training, to a Wellness Program designed by DCT Abu Dhabi’s HR team to offer workshops and seminars on healthy living.

By investing in and caring for its staff the same way it does Abu Dhabi itself, the city’s DCT approaches its task responsibly and with forethought from every direction. The organisation has the fortunate task of promoting a city that is already striking and filled with reasons to visit, but with this comes layers of responsibility that it carries out with a dedication and passion worthy of Abu Dhabi.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

MAKING A DIFFERENCE AngloAmerican chevron-square-right www.angloamerican.com

AngloAmerican

Founded in 1917, Anglo American began life in South Africa. Since then, it has expanded its reach far further, yet South Africa remains at the heart of its operations.

A formidable name in mining, the company’s offerings span across the board, and its history is as rich as its mine sites. In this history, as well as a passion for its industry of operation, another passion also exists – one that was close to its founder’s heart, and just as close to Anglo American’s heart today. In fact, it seems that the modern iteration of this company is finally best making good on its founder’s early dreams – we took a look at how.

A

ngloAmerican was founded over a hundred years ago by Sir Ernest Oppenheimer. With this century of development behind it, it is now a global mining leader with a wide global reach. Oppenheimer reportedly established the company on “the principle of creating lasting, sustainable value for all stakeholders”: he was an entrepreneur, and one whose efforts would end up exceeding possibly even his initial vision. For one thing, the company’s product offering is huge: it produces diamonds, copper, platinum group metals, iron ore, coal, nickel and manganese and polyhalite. Worldwide, the company now hires 95,000 people and made a $6.2 billion shareholder return during 2021.

Oppenheimer’s initial vision was twofold: first and foremost, he of course sought to establish a company that would achieve this long-term success, and long-term results for its stakeholders.

However, he also believed passionately about mining companies doing some good in society. As Mark Cutifani, company CEO, said of the company’s founder:

“I read one of the original quotes from Ernest Oppenheimer, about the role of mining companies doing good things in society, and for me that captured it. Reading those thoughts, of the person who established the business, and then seeing how that thread had run through the organisation for so many years was so interesting to me. Seeing our values play out - the way the company interfaces with people across all areas, is unique and something that everyone at Anglo American should be proud of. I know I feel very proud when I see those values exhibited wherever I go throughout the business.”

Investigating exactly how this company puts these views and values into practice, we quickly came up against statements linking Anglo American’s output with sustainability and green living. Mining and green initiatives can be uneasy bedfellows, and yet, it is true that many of the metals and minerals needed for electric vehicles, renewable energy and other green initiatives come from just here – the mining industry. As the company states: “Our portfolio of world-class competitive operations provides many of the future-enabling metals and minerals for a cleaner, greener, more sustainable world, and that meet the fast growing 44 | Endeavour Magazine

THE VALUE OF PROJECT COST CONSULTING FROM CONCEPT TO CLOSEOUT Over the last two years, various sectors the world over have been hard-pressed to remain viable. As the global pandemic and resultant economic turmoil forced most businesses to embrace lean operations, project cost control fast became the main element to success across the globe in many projects.

This is especially true in the mining and metals, oil and gas, and infrastructure sectors, experiencing increasing costs. “In today’s market, entering projects with absolute cost certainty is essential.

The goal is to identify and eliminate unforeseen cost surprises that can jeopardize the project. This is where independent professional project cost consulting becomes advantageous,” says Philip Pope, Managing Director at Professional Cost Consultants (PCC).

With strategic cost control, projects are carefully managed – from concept to project closeout. The first step in this process is partnering with the right quantity surveying and project services company.

According to Pope, there are specific characteristics that customers should consider before signing a cost consultancy. “The consultancy must offer exceptional professional skills, diverse commodity experience amassed locally and internationally, and customised technology that drives sound processes. With these in place, there is a high level of assurance that projects will be completed on time and within budget.”

Glyn Williams, Managing Director, PCC Australia, adds that consultants must offer integration, transparency, and partnership. “As the intermediary between the client and its principal consultants, good cost consultants will deliver integrated independence and offer total transparency.

While providing dedicated cost management services, it is also essential that the consultants deliver personalised service with management involved in every aspect of the project.

Developing a strong rapport with clients, establishing cross-cultural competence, and producing innovative ideas, informed guidance, and honest advice are the cornerstones of success.”

At the onset and through early involvement in the project, cost consultants with in-depth market

knowledge and vast project experience will ensure clients benefit from accurate and unbiased information. This enables them to make informed financial decisions with confidence throughout the critical feasibility phase of the project. “Intervening in the very early conceptual stage of a project sets the stage for financial success in the later stages. With specialised independent estimating, costing, and scheduling services employed during the feasibility study phases, this is consistently achieved,” confirms Pope.

From a quantity surveying, contract management, contract administration, and project control perspective, sound knowledge and experience undeniably contribute to achieving project goals.

The pre-contract or pre-construction phase; construction or execution phase; and final account or close-out phase comprise certain complexities that require careful consideration and planning.

Each phase carries intricacies that must be managed carefully. “During the feasibility phase, for example, the selection and risk assessment of the most appropriate contracting strategies, preparation of tender documentation, and appointment of the most suitable contractors are essential to ensuring the success of a project.

Throughout construction or execution, attention to detail and a practical understanding of what multidisciplined projects require to reduce the contract and resultant overall project risk are needed. In closeout, prompt final account settlement; contractual claims assessment, negotiations, and settlement; compilation of data for benchmarking future projects; financial/ commercial closeout; and the development of a comprehensive report on lessons learned must be delivered,” concludes Williams.

Truly value-adding cost consultants will drive project success and support overall financial health while displaying a dedication to environmental safety and sustainability. With a future-forward strategy, talented teams must be supported by advanced technology – working together to create financial certainty.

 Independent Estimating

 Quantity Surveying

 Estimate Validation, Review & Audit

 Contract Management

 Project Cost Control

 Procurement

 Commercial Management

 Investment Assurance Reviews (Project Management and Project Controls)

 Risk Analysis (QRA)

 Cost Management

 Administration

 Expediting

 Mine Closure Cost

 Scheduling  Benchmarking

AngloAmerican

every day demands of billions of consumers. With our people at the heart of our business, we use innovative practices and the latest technologies to discover new resources and to mine, process, move and market our future-enabling products to our customers – safely and sustainably.”

These are big claims, but how is the company backing them up? Impressively, it has committed to being carbon neutral by 2040, including the announcement made in 2020 that it will demerger from its thermal coal activities. Of course, carbon neutral and zero-carbon are different things: carbon neutral is not a promise to be pollution free, but it is a promise to mitigate any damage and to come out a net gain. More tangibly, the company has a broad Sustainable Mining Plan that focuses on CSR projects in the communities and environments its operations effect.

As well as this, the company is ever-progressing in the way it tackles its operations: having existed for as long as it has, it knows that one needs to move forwards, or one falls behind. Clearly, Anglo American has never had any trouble there. “For the past 100 years,” Anglo brags, “Our employees have led from the front. We are re-imagining mining to

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improve people’s lives.” Most notably of late, this progress has meant finding cleaner and more efficient ways to work, all in aid of working towards this 2040 Carbon Neutral goal:

“Using less water, less energy and more precise extraction technologies, we are reducing our physical footprint for every ounce, carat and kilo of precious metal or mineral. Modern society rightly expects the mining industry to make a positive contribution to socioeconomic development in a sustainable way by reducing its environmental footprint and supporting biodiversity.”

A greener future does not have the simple luxury of existing without the mining industry – the minerals and metals mining by companies like Anglo American are essential for not only much of our current technology, but the very technology that allows green tech initiatives to take place. Therefore, green thinkers need to find a way to embrace mining, and for mining companies themselves, this means finding responsible ways forward for their industry:

Making a difference

“Our industry must address critical challenges of safety, productivity and the way we use land, energy, and water. As our global population grows, this leads to a greater demand for minerals and metals, core components of products and services that are essential to human progress.”

Anglo American called the answer to this ‘FutureSmart Mining’ - a company trademarked term for Anglo’s vision for sustainable mining.

Described as “innovation-led” by the company, this re-imagining of the industry addressed every stage, from sourcing to mining to processing, moving and even marketing. At every step, the process needs to be cleaner and greener, whilst also being safe and cost effective. Digital analytics to reduce the number of exploration drill sites, more collaboration and CSR involvement with local communities – Anglo aims to rethink the industry from beginning to end.

“It is about transforming our physical and societal footprint.”

Now an extremely modern-sounding company with a modern approach, AngloAmerican started before the First World War had even come to an end.

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AngloAmerican

Since then, its history has been filled with gems. In 1926, not even ten years after AngloAmerican was founded, it took its place at the forefront of the South African mining industry with the development of its East Rang gold mines. The same year, it entered the diamond market when it became the largest single shareholder in De Beers Consolidated Mines. This link with De Beers, which carries on to this day, was further strengthened in 1920, when Oppenheimer became De Beers’ chairman. By 1927, the company had branched out into copper, by 1928, into platinum. Its growth was rapid and impressive, and as you follow the company’s history through the decades and into the new millennium, this pacey expansion doesn’t seem to cease.

As well as expanding operations, the company also has its expanding aid and outreach, both for its staff and the communities around it. In 2002, it partnered with the Department of Health to help tackle HIV, becoming one of the first companies in South Africa to provide free anti-retroviral medicine to their employees, and even expanded this program to employees’ family members. A few years later, in 2006, it partnered with USAID, Virgin Unite and the Mpumalanga provincial government

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to set up the Bhubezi Community Health Centre in Bushbuck Ridge, Mpumalanga. This centre was also geared towards tackling HIV/AIDS, though it also deals with TB and malaria.

So it continues. In the company’s own words, “Mining has always been at our heart, but our journey has taken us down some interesting paths.” These paths are not just business ventures, but in many cases, charitable ones – ones that the company’s founder would be proud to have contributed towards.

“As we look out to the next 100 years, we will continue to unearth the potential beneath our feet, the potential that mining enables – both locally and globally.” This potential is not only being sought in the soil, but in people, both the professional potential of Anglo American’s employees, and also the potential to thrive that exists within the communities that Anglo impacts. Between aspirations of greener mining and increasing investment in these communities, we look forward to what lays ahead for Anglo. In a world that relies on mining’s minerals in order to turn green, we cannot wash our hands of mining, but we can look to companies like Anglo to set an example of how to do it right.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

QUARTER OF A CENTURY Diageo Guinness Cameroun chevron-square-right www.diageo.com

Diageo Guinness Cameroun

Diageo has a story that goes far beyond its 25 years in business; representing brands whose founders date back to the 1700s-1800s, they understand the importance of legacy – both honouring the ones that have been left to them, and bearing in mind the one they will leave. Now, celebrating its silver anniversary as a company, with a solid quarter of a century behind it (and these many, many years of history behind that), it seemed the right time to take another look at Diageo and the reach it has around the world. In particular, we focused in on Guinness Cameroun S.A, a subsidiary that goes above and beyond even the Group’s expectations to protect and give back to their country with every aspect of their business.

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uinness Cameroun SA (GCSA) has its origins on Africa’s shores, when at the start of the last century, merchant ships from the UK and Ireland would bring Guinness with them as they crossed the sea. The dark beverage became an instant hit, and the demand for supply remained until 1967, when GCSA was finally founded. In this year, the first deposit opened in Limbe, and in 1969 a brewery was built in Bassa, Douala. One year later, the first bottle of Guinness® was brewed. With the demand already in place, the brewery had a solid foundation from the get-go, and Cameroon is now Guinness’ fifth largest market in the world, with 35 distributors and partners covering the national territory.

Part of GCSA’s strength, on top of this strong demand, is the solid network it operates within as a part of the Diageo family: whilst GCSA operates locally, the Group has a global footprint, with a presence in 180 countries. Every year, Diageo produces more than 6.5 billion litres of their brands, from more than 100 manufacturing sites in 30 countries, and their products selling in 180.

All of this is achieved by over 33,000 employees worldwide. When Diageo formed in 1997, Guinness were one of the first brands to join it as a subsidiary.

Today, 25 years later, the Group is a world leader in premier drinks, representing not only beers but also some of the top names in wines and spirits. Under their umbrella, it represents 29 of the top 100 most popular spirits in the world, including names like Smirnoff®, Johnnie Walker®, Baileys®, Gordon’s® and Tanqueray®.

Each brand was founded decades or centuries ago by an innovative entrepreneur, and it is that history that informs and inspires Diageo’s emphasis on integrity today. In the company’s own words, it is a “business built on the principles and foundations laid by the giants of our industry.”

Looking at that line-up, many if not most of us will see at least one name that evokes synesthetic memories of a good drinks on great nights; the music we hear and the faces we remember may vary, but the feelings are similar - they are deeply rooted in many of us, our relationship with certain beverages and the parts they play in our social lives, all summed up in a brand. Like any truly successful marketer of lifestyle products, Diageo knows that it is this emotive response that it is are selling as much as the beverages themselves.

This focus on community is key for Kimani and Guinness Cameroun. GCSA is working tirelessly to be a significant part of Diageo’s legacy and

Diageo Guinness Cameroun

ongoing narrative, as well as creating their own.

As the company states, “We strive to become the most trusted and respected consumer products company in Cameroon.” It is pursuing this goal in two ways – through expansion, to give the company the ability to readily provide the best-quality products at affordable prices, and through a strong ethical policy.

To support the company’s ambition in Cameroon, Diageo granted it an important investment, allowing it to carry out a capacity expansion that increased its production. A part of this investment was £3 million in the first-ever portable spirits packaging and bottling line in Cameroon and the sub-region.

The ultra-modern packaging line, which was christened the CUBE, blends and bottles GCSA’s mainstream spirits. The CUBE’s efficiency allows Guinness Cameroun to produce its brands at a lower cost and at a higher capacity, enabling it to satisfy a growing market.

Today, Guinness Cameroun go beyond the “dark stuff” to produce and/or distribute many brands; as well as Guinness®, Guinness Smooth®, the non-alcoholic Malta

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Guinness® and Harp® Premium lager, they also cover ‘Ready to Drink’ mixers Smirnoff Ice Red®, Smirnoff Ice Double Black®, Smirnoff Ice Electric Ginseng® and Orijin®, as well as multiple spirits such as Johnnie Walker®, Baileys®, Smirnoff® Red vodka, Smirnoff®, Gordon’s®, VAT 69®, Dimple®, White horse®, Cîroc®, Gilbey’s® and a lot more.

As well as increasing the production of these current brands, Guinness Cameroun is using the CUBE to take on a new name; Black & White®, the first ever Scotch Whisky bottled by Diageo in Africa.

Although the company had imported and sold the brand since 1970, it seized the opportunity to finish and bottle the Scotch themselves.

Guinness Cameroun employs over 400 talented members of staff. Despite stereotypical notions that beer is a ‘man’s’ drink, the company actively encourages women to apply for roles within its team. GCSA’s goal is to reach 50% female employees, which it is striving for not through ‘minority hires’, but through inviting women to participate in an honest meritocracy. As well as promoting women, the company hopes to promote young people and

Quarter of a century

support them as they begin their career journeys.

It is working towards this through internships and training programmes, particularly aimed at generation Y, who the company believes represent the future of the company if they can gain a foothold on the industrial ladder. When hiring, the company is open to applicants whether they speak English or French, to further empower the Cameroonian people and make the most of the local talent at their fingertips.

As well as protecting and empowering the future of its employees and communities, Guinness Cameroun is committed to Diageo’s drive for environmental sustainability. Its ‘Sustainability & Responsibility Strategy’ focuses on three key areas: Alcohol in Society, Community Empowerment, and Water & the Environment. The water programme follows the Diageo Water Blueprint, which aims to prevent the depletion of natural resources, limit contribution to climate change and avoid the damaging of any species, habitats or biodiversity - ambitious and commendable goals. However, the company doesn’t stop here – as well as limiting its negative impact, it works to create a positive one by facilitating access to water, hygiene and

sanitation for underprivileged communities. Since 2006, the programme has changed the lives of over 900,000 Cameroonians. On top of this, the company recognises its responsibility to address not just the impact of its manufacturing, but the social impact of its products: this not only includes work to promote the importance of sober driving, responsible retailing and alcohol awareness in young people, but also extends to the company’s efforts to reduce the production and selling of illicit products.

It is always satisfying to witness ethical practises being rewarded with success. The Cameroonian beer market is entering a segmentation stage, with aggressive competition between established and emerging companies. However, Guinness Cameroun SA is well positioned to stay on top, not only through its guarantee of a top-quality product, but through this ethical involvement with its employees and communities. We’ll drink to that!

Endeavour Magazine | 57

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

SUPPLY AND DEMAND Mining Suppliers Association of BC chevron-square-right www.miningsuppliersbc.ca phone-square 604-681-4321 (Ext. 104)

Mining Suppliers Association of BC

Mining has long been grouped with various negative connotations, primarily those linked with environmental damage and disruption to local communities.

However, aware of this reputation, and of their responsibility towards the planet and the people around them, mining companies have been taking these issues seriously for years now, and increasingly so as our planet becomes greener and more socially conscious.

Whilst individual mining companies all look to this responsibility in their own ways, organisations such as some mining industry associations also work towards these goals on a broader scale. The Mining Suppliers Association of British Columbia is one such mission-focused association, working closely with the Mining Association of British Columbia to work towards a shared goal.

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escribing its primary goal as “Building a Better Future for Mining”, the Mining Suppliers Association of British Columbia (MSABC) is built around the mining industry’s impact on the economic well-being of the areas in which it operates, both in terms of the positives it can create, and also the responsibilities that come with this level of impact.

A voice that speaks for and to B.C’s mining industry suppliers, contractors and consultants, the association supports these groups both through the provision of expertise advice and informative materials, and also through active participation. Going between the mining industry and the government, it is able to lobby in the industry’s interest whilst also reporting back to the industry on matters such as CSR.

A full partner of the MABC (the Mining Association of British Columbia), this supplier’s association is a non-profit association that looks out for the companies that support and closely work with and within the mining industry (without being mining companies themselves). Formed in 1986 and still going strong, MSABC now consists of 3,700 member suppliers that supply either goods, services or both to mining companies, covering 33,000 direct and indirect jobs, and responsible for a collective $12.3 billion in economic activity.

In the words of the MSABC, “The future direction of our industry relies on the active involvement of its suppliers, contractors and consultants.” They are essential cogs in the machine, and therefore, they have a voice and an important part to play.

First and foremost, the MSABC is a mining industry advocate. It describes its work in this role thusly: “In addition to providing business development opportunities for our members and mining companies, MSABC supports important advocacy work aimed at improving B.C.’s competitiveness as a mining jurisdiction and enhancing the public reputation of the B.C. mining industry. MSABC supports mining industry advocacy through a variety of initiatives, from site visits for elected officials to advocacy campaigns during provincial elections.”

Some of the ways in which it both strives to improve mining’s image and, in doing so, positively

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Supply and demand

impact the communities of British Columbia, include the initiatives MineralsEd, Mining Week and Mining for Miracles. Going through these, MineralsEd is B.C.’s Mineral Education Resources Program. Launched in 1991, this educational organization seeks to support and encourage Earth science, mineral resource and mining education in school. Since it began, it has impacted the learning of over 800,000 students.

The purposes behind this are twofold: firstly, to produce generations who are better-educated in subjects that could set them up for a career in mining and, additionally, increasingly awareness regarding the issues and importance of mining in B.C more generally.

Meanwhile, events such as Mining Week marks a province-wide celebration of mining’s contribution to B.C.’s economy, which one could label as either awareness and outreach or propaganda, depending on one’s inclinations. More missionfocused, Mining Day is in fact a lobby day, where the MSABC partners with the Mining Association of B.C. and the Association for Mineral Exploration to send executives from mining companies, mineral

exploration companies, mine supply, contractor and consultant firms to meet with elected officials and senior civil servants. This organised day focuses lobbying efforts into a day that aims towards communication and transparency between associations and government, though the associations will of course be leaning towards active advocacy for their members and industry.

As for ‘Mining for Miracles’, this project does not further mining directly at all. Instead, it is a campaign that seeks to aid British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital. Pulling together the whole industry in this effort, $20 million have been raised since 1988.

Moving away from PR and outreach, and looking instead to what this association achieves internally within the mining industry, it serves as a go-between to create business development opportunities between mine operators and suppliers. Representing suppliers and other support services specifically, it communicates with B.C’s mining companies, both local and those owned by overseas Groups, to seek better opportunities for its 3,700 local members. In part, it achieves this through hosting networking

Endeavour Magazine | 61

Mining Suppliers Association of BC

events in which to bring suppliers and mines together, and it also equips its members with a suite of business development tools that allows them to compete, stay ahead and represent themselves as well as they can within this industry. These events include straight-up networking events, but also more recreational affairs such as the Spring Fling, Bob Hallbauer Memorial Invitational golf tournament and the MSBAC and MABC Christmas reception.

In the sphere of informed advice and up-todate data, MSABC also funds and conducts studies into the mining industry and supplier roles within it. For example, in 2019, it worked with the MABC to fund a study of 2018 expenditures of B.C. mines and smelters on supplies and services from B.C. companies. The study found that 17 major mines and 2 smelters spent $2.9 billion purchasing supplies and services from more than 3,700 business located in 215 municipalities, communities and Indigenous nations in that year alone. (This did not include revenue from B.C. firms providing mining supplies and services to operations outside of the province.)

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The results of the 2019 B.C. Mining Supply Chain study supported a “One Province, One Economy” public awareness campaign, which featured workers who provided supplies and services to B.C. mines.

Finally, against in the realm of informing and empowering its members, MSABC provides each member a suite of mining industry intelligence and marketing tools that allow them to keep aware of the latest industry developments, as well as aiding them in better marketing and promoting their own activities. These include simple elements such as a weekly newsletter to keep members abreast of the industry’s movements, and more complex features such as lists that track leadership changes within B.C’s operating mines. This information means that supplier companies know who to reach out to where, and also prompts them to approach a company that they do not currently supply whenever leadership changes hands. There are also up to date lists on mining operations, both those active and ones currently being proposed. Lastly, members’

Supply and demand

products are promoted in MSABC’s own printed and online directories.

All of this allows member companies to compete and represent themselves within this industry to the best of their abilities, up to date with the movements of the mining presence around them and supported in how best to approach said companies with their services. By looking out for its members, MSABC strives to look out for the mining industry as a whole, and within this, to remind it of its duties to wider British Columbia. From smallscale, internal benefit to wider-reaching ones, MSABC aims to help its people, in order to better support its people in aiding others. Whether or not this transpires, however, eventually comes down to the member companies and the mining industry itself.

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Endeavour Magazine | 63

Amazing World

Written by James Lapping

THE MYSTERIOUS ROMAN DODECAHEDRON

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rcheologists tend to be on the frontline of mystery, and regularly pull up many surprises out of the ground, whether these be previously unknown human ancestors, fossils of age-old extinct beasts, or just awe-inspiring treasures that have remained untouched for hundreds or even thousands of years. But when it comes to the excavation of Roman remains, usually there aren’t too many twists. This is because the Roman Empire was one of the biggest and most well-known empires in human history, and source material and general information on this period isn’t scarce. However, there is one particular find from this period in history that continues to stump historians and archeologists to this day.

The Roman Dodecahedron. Dating from the 2nd- 4th Century CE, this mystery item was first discovered in 1793 and over 100 more have been discovered since. Usually when excavating for Roman remains, one comes across an old bath house, maybe some Roman coins with an emperor

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stamped on them, or if you are lucky, an intact mosaic. But nothing like the Roman Dodecahedron has ever been discovered before, and over 200 years after its discovery, nobody knows what this item was used for.

Made from copper alloy, each Roman Dodecahedron discovered has been cast into a dodecahedral shape that consists of twelve pentagonal shaped sides.

Each pentagonal side has a hole of varying size in the middle and five spherical balls sit on the vertices of each pentagonal face. One aspect of the design that baffles historians particularly is the inconsistency in size. The Roman Dodecahedrons vary in size from 4cm-11cm and the circular holes inside the pentagons and spherical balls on the vertices vary in size too. The mystery items have popped up across the range of the former Roman Empire, as far east as Hungary/Romania and as far west as Hadrian’s Wall, on the border of the Roman Empire in Scotland.

The reason that mystery remains around these objects is because they are a relatively contemporary find, and there are no primary sources from the time that discuss their purpose. The Roman Empire is a very welldocumented period of history and many technologies from the period were handed down generation to generation years after Roman’s left the lands that the empire had occupied. Various theories have been suggested to explain the purposes of these 12-sided objects. Some suggest that they were used to calculate cosmic and astrological phenomena.

The sun may have beamed through the holes on each side and been used to predict when astrological events occurred or when it would be the best time of year to plant crops. Unfortunately, the inconsistency in size of these items throws much doubt on this theory. Another theory argues Endeavour Magazine | 65

that the Roman Dodecahedron was used as a decoration, specifically, as a candlestick holder.

Some examples that have been found over the last 200 years have shown traces of wax on the surface. It is clear to see that it would be able to hold a candle quite nicely, but these traces of wax may just be evidence of the casting process, which includes the use of wax.

There are two theories that stand out as the most likely to explain the function of the Roman Dodecahedron. The first simply suggests that these items were nothing more than a valuable object to the Romans. Many examples of this mystery item have been discovered in coin hoards. These tend to include coins en masse alongside other items that represented wealth to their owners. It may have also just been a stylized item for wealthy people to exhibit or to wear as an accessory.

The most likely purpose of the Roman Dodecahedron seems serve more purpose than just a sign of wealth though. It may have been a device to aide knitting. Researchers and theorists have been able to prove that it is possible to knit a pair of gloves using the object. You can easily find videos on YouTube of how this can be achieved. This

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may explain the differences in sizes of the Roman Dodecahedrons and the sizes of the circular holes on them. These different sized holes would have been for different hand and finger sizes. Most finds have been in the Northern regions of the Roman Empire, and the cold temperatures in these areas support the theory that they may have been used for this purpose.

The knitting theory is most likely the glove that fits when it comes to this mystery. Only time will tell: year by year, archeological technologies improve, and our understanding and knowledge of the past continues to unfold. However, until historians stumble across a source that discusses the use of a Roman Dodecahedron, or its function can be deduced without a doubt, then scholars and academics will continue to theorize over this 12-sided mystery!

©Hadley Paul Garland, Flickr flickr.com/photos/paul_garland

6th Floor, Mwalimu House, Ilala District PO Box 79838, Dar es salaam - Tanzania

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info@alphafabricators.co.tz

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

OCEAN OF OPPORTUNITY Drydocks World chevron-square-right www.drydocks.gov.ae phone-square +971-4-3450626

Drydocks World

As an affluent coastal city in a country with a notable shoreline and high emphasis on shipping and offshore works, Drydocks World is well-positioned to fulfil an essential need in Dubai. Not only one need, in fact, but many, Drydocks World has an extensive offering of services and capabilities, the extent of which we took a closer look at this month.

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ased in Dubai, Drydocks World has been in operation for 39 years, offering just shy of four decades of marine and offshore services to the UAE’s shipping, energy, oil and gas sectors – each one an essential industry for the country and for the many nations that it supplies. Completing an average of over 300 projects a year, Drydocks is prolific in its field. Its busiest period to date saw the company taking on an incredible 42 refurbishment projects at the same time, but even without such feats, it gets through its contracts at an impressive rate, proving itself a company to be reckoned with.

Drydocks World was founded under the guidance of the late H.H. Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

Adjacent to Port Rashid, it has a footprint of 200 hectares, and within this space, its facilities are generous, boasting four dry docks and a total of over 3,700m of berth space. The largest of its four dry docks is able to accommodate even the world’s largest ships, and likewise, these docks and facilities have been used to construct some of the world’s largest offshore fabrication projects, breaking records before the builds even reach the water. To all of these ends, the docks also owns and enjoys the Middle East’s largest floating crane.

Drydocks World was first proposed as an idea, by H.H. Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum and others, in 1971, notable because it would be the first and only dry docks facilities in the Persian Gold. Finally, after much work, it opened in 1983. These twelve years were spent on planning, feasibility studies and, of course, construction.

So what, in total, are Drydocks’ operational offerings? The entity covers many areas, providing expert input and services ranging from the repair of offshore rigs to private yachts. It has repaired well over 8000 vessels thus far, and in 1994, even diversified into ship construction – an art and industry in itself.

Working systematically through it all, then, the first and foremost service is undoubtedly ship repair.

Drydocks World reports that it completes about 340 ship repair projects annually. Its experience in this area goes back to when the docks were first opened. Today, its workforce in this area consists of both in-house employees and local subcontractors, resulting in a team of over 3,000 personnel. As well as its dry docks, it also has a floating dock, which allows for greater versatility in how it approaches its 72 | Endeavour Magazine

Ocean of opportunity

www.calveymarine.co.uk

E: calvey@calveymarine.co.uk T: +44 (0) 1903 748860

Calvey Marine has been supporting ship owners and managers for over thirty years with their ship repair and maintenance needs; from drydockings and retrofits to procurement and marine services.

The company is proud to be the sole UK agent of Drydocks World Group, the PaxOcean Group and Lisnave Shipyard, as well as marine suppliers such as AMI, Green’s Power, and Seatec Subsea.

Whilst clients are mainly UK based, Calvey Marine project manage the enquiries for repairs and maintenance works to ships globally, from the UK to US, Europe, Dubai, China and Singapore.

Building good and lasting relationships is the key to Calvey Marine’s business and clients come to them knowing that they will be given an honest, professional, and efficient service, offering considerable time and money savings.

Expansion is on the horizon, with recently appointed Business Development Director Jessica on the hunt for the right candidate to join the team in 2022.

We would like to thank Drydocks World for their great support and look forward to continuing our close relationship and ensuring a bright future for all.

If you would like to learn more abut the full range of marine supplies and services that Calvey Marine can offer or would like to discover how they can assist with present and future enquiries, please get in touch.

Calvey Marine has been at the forefront of the marine industry for over thirty years.

SPECIALISTS IN:

Global Drydockings

Global Afloat and Underwater Repairs and Maintenance Condition Monitoring

Global Procurement Capabilities including Anchors, Chains, Chocks and Bollards

Heat Exchangers, Boilers and Economisers Surveys, Spares, Repairs and Fabrication

BWTS Installation, Repairs and Maintenance

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Drydocks World

repairs. Further tech includes a climate-controlled workshop, and even a cryogenic workshop, the latter to allow work to safely occur on LNG vessels.

Another impressive (and excitingly named) element are the dock’s Chariot Robotics machines: these environmentally friendly robots are used to carry out hull blasting autonomously whilst other work is also undertaken.

Moving on from heavy ship repairs to far smaller operations, Drydocks also repairs yachts. After all, yachts are a popular item amongst coastal Dubai’s wealthy population, so it is a natural service for Drydocks World to add on to its repertoire. It offers both repair, maintenance and refurbishment, as well as emergency response and even warehousing and storage. Where there is a need, that need will be met, and as an industrial dock already offering vessel services, there was nothing stopping Drydocks from branching out into this more personal, luxury offering, working with yacht companies and individuals alike.

Good service makes the difference Cambiaso Risso Service: a fully independent services provider handling both shiprepair yards’ representation and towage and salvage broking proudly representing Drydocks World Dubai in Italy, Switzerland and Monaco since 1989

www.cariservice.com 74 | Endeavour Magazine

Moving on from vessel works to offshore, this work may not be the fast-turned-over bread and butter for Drydocks that ship repairs are, but it accounts for a significant portion of their large-scale operations.

Assisting the energy, oil & gas and maritime sectors, these works reach all of Dubai’s important offshore sectors. With a 10,000-strong workforce for this portion of its operations, Drydocks has its own offshore works yard, as well as, of course, working in transportation and installation at sea. It even supports separate entity Global Offshore Services, which, with Drydocks’ backing, offers services in offshore mechanical works, hydraulics, automation, electrical works, steel works, piping, fabrication and hot dip galvanising.

Coming back to Drydocks itself, its offshore capabilities also include a dedicated rig division, supported by 100 expert supply chain personnel as well as its thousands-strong workforce.

Servicing offshore drilling units, production topsides, deepwater semi-submersibles, tension leg platforms and other sophisticated offshore facilities. It works in rig repair, maintenance and refurbishment, with its Rig Integrity Assurance

Ocean of opportunity

programs in place to ensure that offshore rigs are operating at full spec.

Finally, the docks offer two forms of service that go above and beyond what one might expect from what we have described so far.

These offerings require their own qualified experts to carry out, and both add value to the dock’s customers in ways that not every such operation will offer.

The first of these is the possibility to receive Lifting Gears & Equipment inspection. This service inspects and can even issue certification to lifting gears and equipment such as shackles, manual hoists, wire rope slings, textile slings and chain slings. These are tested using a number of pieces of equipment, such as tensile test beds, load cells, a 2000T floating crane, a 300T gantry crane, water bags and test weights, and an experienced team of riggers trained in carrying out and assisting in these tests. These inspections exist both for general maintenance and peace of mind, and also to receive certification proving that these pieces of equipment have passed muster.

Finally, and arguably the most specialised offering of all, Drydocks employees an HVAC & Architectural Division, a team that is qualified and able to advise companies within the marine, oil, gas and renewable energy industries on issues such as architectural, electrical, air conditioning, refrigeration, plumbing, fire and gas activities. In particular, this service can help these companies to design the integration of their HVAC elements into their rigs and facilities, offering everything from early concept design through to 3D Modeling, detailed drawings and project management.

From heavy repairs to drawing up detailed plans, Drydocks World offers more than one might expect.

Strongly situated on the coast a country with heavy marine involvement, the demand in the market exists, and Drydocks World exists to meet it, with a vast and well-trained team ready to meet most every niche marine works could call upon them for.

Endeavour Magazine | 75

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

SMOOTH SAILING Hong Kong Shipowners Association chevron-square-right www.hksoa.org phone-square (852) 2520-0206

Hong Kong Shipowners Association

Now more than ever, logistics are what keep the world turning, whether the rest of the world is at standstill or moving with it. Supporting Hong Kong’s shipping industry through multiple strategic approaches and specialist partnerships, the Hong Kong Shipowners Association has enjoyed fast growth and global recognition since its formation in 1957.

H

aving identified a need for dialogue and mutual support, 11 shipowners came together to create a forum for their interests.

That was in 1957, when the Hong Kong Shipowners Association (“HKSOA”) was first incorporated and since then, what was an intimate forum has grown into one of the world’s largest shipowners groups.

Today, the HKSOA represents members that own and/or manage a total deadweight carrying capacity in excess of 182 million tonnes and offers two distinct tiers of membership, allowing more than just shipowners to benefit from the collective’s experience, as Sandy Chan, Managing Director, revealed:

“There are two categories of membership: ‘Ordinary’ membership for Hong Kong domiciled shipowners, managers and operators; and ‘Associate’ membership for other professions and services upon whom the industry would rely in the performance of their business.”

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78 | Endeavour Magazine

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Hong Kong Shipowners Association

By bringing two different yet intrinsically connected factions of the same industry together, under the umbrella of an association, everybody benefits, from the members themselves to those who require their services. The reason for such far-reaching positive results? Sandy believes it is the nature in which the HKSOA encourages and facilitates communication and collaboration:

“The Association arranges forums in which members are able to meet and discuss issues of concern, informs the membership of important changes in the shipping environment through educational seminars and circulars, and represents the interests of members in national and international fora.”

Operating at the behest of a mission to protect the interests of all members, solidify Hong Kong as a maritime superpower and promote value-added services for the general public, the HKSOA now operates on a number of levels, including internal, local, national and global. Each level requires vast amounts of dialogue and plays a vital role in the overall aims of the Association, the most important being the acknowledgement of being a recognised and respected voice for the shipping sector.

Internally, the HKSOA hosts events for members that serve to inform new developments, which are then relayed locally, to relevant government departments and stakeholders.

Taking conversations to a national level requires close working relationships with mainland authorities, other associations and business partners and finally, international information sharing consolidates all of the hard work completed on a smaller scale: “At the international level, the Association is well known as the “Voice of Asia”. We support the principles of free trade, fair competition and a levelplay field, and we participate actively in the global and regional maritime arenas. Presently, both the Marine Committee of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the Ship Insurance and Liabilities Committee of the Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA) are chaired by HKSOA representatives.”

Having become woven into the fabric of the shipping industry over the last 63 years, the HKSOA has seen a great deal of industry instability, with 2019 being a particularly challenging year. The trade disputes, coupled with stunted global economic growth meant that many shipowners felt the pinch, but then came the 2020 shipping sulphur cap to make things even more challenging. Sandy 80 | Endeavour Magazine

recognises these difficulties for the industry and is resolved to assist: “In the new year, it is even more important for the Association, as a trade organisation representing the local shipping community, to continue to do things that are positive and encouraging.”

This brings us to the future. What has the HKSOA got planned, in terms of helping its members through the mire of industry uncertainty? A great deal as it happens, much of which is a continuation of carefully laid groundwork. This is particularly true when it comes to enhanced global collaboration, as the International Chamber of Shipping has accepted the HKSOA’s offer to host a representative office, namely the International Chamber of Shipping (China) Liaison Office, away from London, cementing Hong Kong as a leading maritime entity in the region.

Another future focal point to identify is next generation shipping professionals. Not enough is being done to encourage young people to follow a career into the industry and Sandy reflected on how this should change:

“Grooming young talent is especially crucial for the shipping industry as the sector is

With our 200-year old roots in the maritime world, we have experience, knowledge and an unparalleled reputation.

Our marine practice has more than 100 dedicated marine legal experts based around the globe including the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, Monaco and Piraeus.

Many of our lawyers have first-hand industry experience in P&I clubs, ship management companies, with international brokers, traders and charterers.

Please contact us: Damien Laracy Damien.Laracy@HillDickinson.com Edward Liu Edward.Liu@Hilldicikinson.com Antony Cowie Antony.Cowie@Hilldickinson.com

Smooth sailing

experiencing a period of unprecedented change on all fronts – operational, technical, commercial, legal and financial. We must have the right people to cope with these changes.

In the years ahead, the Association will work closely with both the government and member companies in maritime education and training.”

Involvement in a significant Greater Bay Area (GBA) development plan is also an exciting longterm initiative that would transform Hong Kong’s shipping industry into a modern, innovative and efficient enterprise. Two months ago, the HKSOA hosted its first GBA Forum in the annual Hong Kong Maritime Week to explore the growth potentials for, and business opportunities of, the GBA for maritime and maritime services sectors. It was well received, and the HKSOA is planning another one this year.

Sandy is also keen to highlight a recent success of Hong Kong. In the past few years, the HKSOA has been working hard in seeking BIMCO’s (The Baltic International Maritime Council) agreement to add Hong Kong as a named arbitration venue in the dispute resolution clause in the BIMCO’s standard

contract. In December 2019, BIMCO accepted the suggestion that Hong Kong be included as a named arbitration venue in its Dispute Resolution Clause in the standard contract.

“We are very pleased with this announcement.

The arrangement will further boost the use of Hong Kong’s maritime arbitration services worldwide, and consolidate Hong Kong’s position as a leading, international maritime centre.”

The importance of this should not be underestimated. BIMCO is an international shipping association with members in more than 120 countries. To be an important part of such an enterprise will raise the profile of Hong Kong’s maritime industry no end, whilst adding credence to the work being done by the HKSOA. By actively seeking out new and important global relationships, nurturing the shipping industry professionals of the future and always retaining a local connection, the HKSOA is maintaining a difficult balancing act. Protecting the interests of those members that look to the Association for support now and being ready for what lies ahead requires significant expertise, but that’s exactly what the HKSOA is built on.

Expert legal advice across all areas of maritime law Contact us to access market-leading support from our team of over 100 maritime legal specialists.

hilldickinson.com/hongkong

Endeavour Magazine | 81

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

TAMING THE SEA Boskalis chevron-square-right www.boskalis.com phone-square +31 78 6969 000

Boskalis

For over 100 years, Dutch dredging contractor Boskalis has assisted in marine projects through both its construction and service offerings, bringing its abilities to 90 countries worldwide and playing a key hand in many famous, shore-changing projects. We took a look at Boskalis as an overall entity, but also focused in on Boskalis Singapore in particular: an industry-rich island, this water-locked urban nation has much need for Boskalis’ services, including some that are currently under construction which represent vast investments and could produce landmark results.

G

lobally a leading company in both marine services and dredging contracting, Boskalis offers much to the offshore industry world. The energy sector, ports, coastal and delta regions are all key client-bases, with the company’s activities and areas of expertise including hydraulic engineering, coastal protection and land reclamation, all of which it has been overseeing out of the Netherlands for more than a century. Now in six continents, Boskalis truly has reached the world.

To maintain this vast reach, the company deploys a fleet of over 900 vessels, all owned and operated by the company, and it is this vast investment in vessels that a customer of Boskalis benefits from as well as their expertise.

Dredging is where Boskalis began and, traditionally, this is the company’s main offering, but it isn’t all it offers. It isn’t something to be sniffed at either, though!

Dredging is an essential part of offshore construction, and Boskalis’ dredging services are used towards both the construction and maintenance of ports and waterways, land reclamation, coastal defense and riverbank protection. However, the company is not a one-trick pony: as well as this essential task, the company is also about to assist in or, in some cases, solely lead the development, construction, transport, installation, inspection, repair, maintenance and decommissioning of oil and LNG import/export facilities, offshore platforms, pipelines, underwater cables and offshore wind farms. This is a huge range of activities, all vastly essential to the offshore or shore-side sectors, and requiring a hefty range of knowledge and training to carry out. On top of this, the company also uses its fleet to offer towage services, salvage and assists in emergency response through its partners Smit Lamnalco and Keppel Smit Towage. These additional services are offered to an impressive 90 ports in 36 countries around the world – this is now small side-gig, but a full-on operation!

To enable all of this, Boskalis employees more than 10,700 experts – a formidable team by anyone’s standards. This expertise, obviously, is not all focused in on one area, but instead covers every aspect that the challenges of offshore construction and Boskalis’ other operations can entail, including hydraulics, civil and marine engineering, ecology,

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Boskalis morphology, geology, geophysics and marine biology (not to mention project-running expertise such as project management, operations and risk management.) With this vast pool to draw from, the company advertises that it can appoint the correct bespoke selection of experts to a client’s job, drawing in people well-versed in every aspect that a project entails. It is of no surprise, hearing this, that the company describes itself as placing a high value on staff training and development, and it is equally unsurprising to hear that it puts a heavy emphasis on the importance of delivering project completion safely, within budget and in a timely manner.

Before focusing in on Boskalis Singapore, we took a look back at this century-old company’s history, curious about where it all began. It was founded in 1910 and started with a large fleet from the get-go, its resourced pooled from the various families that worked together to set it up. This all began in Sliedrecht, known as the birthplace of the Dutch dredging industry.

Of course, not too long after it was founded, the First World War began, which slowed down if not

86 | Endeavour Magazine

ended many businesses. Boskalis prevailed, and after the war, the company took part in the Zuider Zee project – namely, the 1927-1932 damming of the Zuider Zee (Southern Sea) with the construction of the Afsluitdijk, a historic closure dike that allowed the Netherlands to protect its shores from flood. The Netherlands continues to be a world leader when it comes to damming technology and preparation for rising sea levels – its relationship with the sea is long and fraught, and Boskalis has been there for much of it. (For example, in 1953, it played a major role in the famous Delta Works project following the Netherlands facing a devastating flood.)

In 1971, shares in the company became publicly listed, and the company has only continued to expand, involved in notable and even famous construction projects around the world. Whilst Boskalis’ reach is international, it opts to focus on countries that are experiencing, or are predicted to experience, high growth in the energy and port arenas, so that their mutual trajectories can keep each other moving forwards. That’s smart business, and explains how Boskalis has managed to get to the strength and size it has achieved.

One such country of focus is Singapore. Heavily reliant on ports and the protection of its shores,

Taming the sea the thriving and affluent island is a logical area for Boskalis to focus in on, and many of its projects are either carried out for the country specifically or else involve and impact its shores in some way. These projects include a vast polder development costing a total €800 million. With the aim of reclaiming land and pushing back against Singapore’s shores, the project will allow the island nation to expand its footprint – hugely important for such a densely packed and still-growing island country.

This JV is being shared with Penta Ocean Construction Company, with both entities taking approximately half of the work and half of the cost, pricing Boskalis’ half at €400 million. The project is taking place at the north-western tip of Pulau Tekon. Construction is planned to reach completion this year after a four-year build. In essence, the build consists of a series of 10km dikes, draining the land using pumps and canals. In many ways, polders echo draining technology used by the Romans, in the Netherlands and in other nations such as the UK, but of course, using vastly updated techniques.

Boskalis’ CEO, Peter Berdowski, released a statement about this notable and sizable contract: “The award of this sizable project marks a historic moment. Our company has a rich heritage of building dikes and developing polders in the Netherlands, and

the creation of this first polder in Southeast Asia is an important new milestone. Over the past decades Boskalis has been active in Singapore, reclaiming land and enabling the country to grow. The use of polders however creates new opportunities to expand. Through this project we look forward to pushing back boundaries and demonstrating our global leadership position as dredging and marine experts.”

As Peter Berdowski mentioned, this is the latest of many-such land reclamation projects in Singapore, and yet, it is the first of its kind. Other types of Singaporean projects that have also involved Boskalis have included the expansion of the Tuas Mega Port, seabed works, the installation of submarine cabling, the transportation and installation of various offshore units and the provision of vessels for LNG tug services. However, out of all of these, it is this current polder project that is the most exciting, both for the size of the contract and for the difference it could make for Singapore. Never underestimate the power of dredging – sometimes, it can change the shape of a nation.

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