9-12 February 2026
CTICC, Cape Town
It’s about unity, it’s about the undeniable power of bringing diverse voices and perspectives together.
Laura Nicholson, Content & Communities Director
Alone we can achieve Progress, Together we can transform our industry and our continent.
Laura Nicholson, Content & Communities Director
Watch Laura share powerful insights on the MI26 theme and why unity is key to transforming Africa’s mining future.
Laura Nicholson, Content & Communities Director
#MI26StrongerTogether
Communities and Indigenous People
Working Together
Building lasting prosperity through inclusive partnerships rooted in local needs.
Breaking Technology Boundaries
Driving safety, efficiency, and progress with bold, crosssector tech adoption.
Governance, Regulation & Policy
Shared Vision, Shared Goals
Policy alignment and collaboration to position Africa as a global mining leader.
Investment
Partnering for Profit
Strategic partnerships unlocking growth, development, and shared value.
The Power of Positive Disruptors
Championing disruptors shaping a more inclusive, people-first mining future.
Strategic Value – The African Narrative
Unlocking Africa’s critical minerals through aligned, value-driven collaboration.
Industries Converging Integrated supply chains to drive beneficiation and industrial resilience.
Infrastructure & Industrialisation
Strengthening the Pillars of Progress
Strengthening networks to power Africa’s industrial transformation.
Striking Geopolitical Balance in the Green Era
Equity-led partnerships for Africa’s green economy leadership.
Mining with Purpose: Safeguarding Nature & Communities
Protecting people and planet through ESG-focused collaboration.
We must not repeat a century-old pattern of extraction without transformation. The future of critical minerals will not be decided in faraway capitals. It will be shaped here in Africa, by Africans, for the world.
By Ntokozo Nzimande, Deputy Director-General. Policy, Global Relations and Investment Promotion
The global race for critical minerals is no longer a distant phenomenon, but one that is unfolding in our backyard, in our continent, and in our time. With the Cabinet’s recent approval of South Africa’s first Critical Minerals and Metals Strategy, our nation has taken a decisive step to lead not only domestically but continentally and globally in shaping the future of minerals essential for the new global minerals landscape and the fourth industrial revolution.
This strategy arrives at a pivotal moment. In February this year, we convened the first-ever African Ministers Critical Minerals Roundtable on the margins of Mining
Indaba, a landmark gathering that brought together policy leaders from across the continent to craft a shared vision for Africa’s role in the evolving critical minerals landscape. The Roundtable established a clear and united voice: Africa must not only supply critical minerals to the world but must also beneficiate them on the continent, extract them responsibly, and do so in a way that drives inclusive and sustainable development for our people.
South Africa’s strategy embodies these principles. It is not just a document of policy it is a blueprint framework for action. It maps our
mineral endowment, prioritises value addition and industrialisation, promotes responsible and transparent sourcing, and calls for increased exploration, research, skills development and innovation. It links mining to development, and minerals to markets and infrastructure. It is rooted in our national priorities but aligned with the Pan-African imperative of building a resilient, sovereign, and sustainable economy for Africa.
Critically, this strategy reinforces South Africa’s leadership role within the G20, which we are proud to chair this year. As President of the G20, we have placed critical minerals at the heart of global cooperation. We are championing a new narrative, one that places developing countries, particularly in Africa, not just as suppliers of raw materials but as strategic partners in value chains. This is already reflected in the work of the G20 Task Force on Critical Minerals, which we have structured around three key pillars: increased exploration and geological data (led by the Council for Geoscience), beneficiation at source (led by MINTEK), and responsible sourcing and investment frameworks (led by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources).
The global shift to clean energy and digital technologies will be underpinned by minerals such as lithium, cobalt, rare earths, vanadium, and platinum group metals, many of which we have in abundance. But abundance is not enough. Without a clear strategy, a strong state, and smart partnerships, we risk repeating a century-old pattern of extraction without transformation. This is why our strategy insists on building local capacity, crowding in investment, and deepening cooperation with African peers and global allies alike.
To our investors, development partners, and multilateral allies: we welcome your partnership, but it must be on terms that advance our shared prosperity, not entrench
To the people of South Africa, this strategy is ultimately about you, its about creating decent jobs, developing skills for the future, growing our economy, and ensuring that the mineral wealth beneath our soil benefits all who live in it.
Let us move forward with urgency and unity. The future of critical minerals will not be decided in faraway capitals. It will be shaped here in Africa, by Africans, for the world.
David Sturmes-Verbeek, Co-Founder, Director of Partnerships & Innovation, The Impact Facility
Disengagement won’t solve the challenges we’re concerned about –collective action might. Yves, ASM Engagement Lead, Fair Cobalt Alliance
The first time I visited the copper and cobalt belt of the Democratic Republic of Congo, I remember standing in a village just a few kilometres from one of the world’s largest industrial mines. There was no running water. No electricity. Children played barefoot in dusty roads, their homes built with tarps and scrap metal. The disconnect was striking: this region, rich in the minerals that power the global energy transition, remains home to some of the world’s poorest communities. That moment has stayed with me. It reminds me that partnership isn’t a concept–it’s a commitment. A commitment to ensure that mineral wealth translates into local prosperity.
As Co-Founder of The Impact Facility, I’ve spent the last decade building partnerships that make that commitment real. Through the Fair Cobalt Alliance (FCA), we bring together actors across the battery value chain – civil society, mining cooperatives, government bodies, and multinational companies–with a shared mission: to uplift artisanal mining communities and ensure cobalt is sourced responsibly. It’s a partnership built on mutual respect, local leadership, and longterm thinking. None of us could do this alone.
The FCA supports child labour remediation through a local network called The Hub, co-develops professionalisation plans with mining cooperatives, and works hand-in-hand with the state-owned company EGC to unlock legal operating space for ASM. We’ve made sure women ore washers have PPE and improved ventilation for hundreds of underground miners – funded by cobalt credits launched through our alliance. We do this not by imposing solutions, but by co-defining problems and investing in local capacity to solve them.
But it hasn’t been easy. Artisanal mining is often painted in a negative light – risky, informal, unsafe. We had to reframe the narrative: ASM is not the problem. It’s an opportunity. Done right, it can build a middle class, foster entrepreneurship, and support the just energy transition. That shift in mindset took time. Progress has been slower than any of us hoped. But five years into the Alliance, we’ve seen breakthroughs because we stayed consistent, grounded, and collaborative.
What gives me hope is not the metrics – it’s the people. It’s Yves, our ASM engagement lead, reminding us: “Disengagement won’t solve the challenges we’re concerned about, collective action might.” It’s the community members who now see themselves as co-creators of change, not just beneficiaries. And it’s the growing realisation across the sector that we need each other: public and private, North and South, producer and consumer.
If mining is to serve people and planet, we must reject siloed thinking. Stronger Together means designing from the ground up, listening before acting, and aligning with shared goals – not just shareholder value. Across Africa, the African Minerals Development Centre is showing how a pan-African, partnership-first strategy can shape a new era. Let’s build on that. Let’s make “stronger together” more than a theme. Let’s make it a norm.
Mfikeyi Makayi
CEO Africa KoBold Metals
We are on the cusp of changing the trajectory of our work approaches in mining. Data is the cornerstone of this new era, and as evident in other sectors, where innovation has leapt forward. Combining human intelligence and AI unlocks new opportunities.
The largest opportunities for Africa lie in free public access to geoscientific data, which will boost investment into our countries that have experienced low economic growth despite having abundant mineral resources. Free public data attracts different types of players from the status quo and opens up new markets for trade, commerce and skill exchange.
The launching of the Geological Survey Department’s Digital Archive, funded by KoBold Metals and donated to the Zambian Government, is among the bold steps that will enable collaboration between industry, stakeholders and governments on data and where investment opportunities for mineral exploration and mine development. At the core of data transparency is a role that public data plays in shaping data-driven strategies for economic transformation. Levelling the playing field by fostering transparency and accountability of all engaged participants, and building on science and innovation rather than secretive approaches that have previously fostered mistrust between the private sector and governments. Furthermore, joint alignment between African countries to lower barriers to investment and trade between each other through synergies that will bring value addition in education, employment and knowledge exchange between countries. Our overall goal is always the advancement of sustainable development for everyone.
The largest opportunities for Africa lie in free public access to geoscientific data, which will boost investment into our countries that have experienced low economic growth despite having abundant mineral resources.
Take the development of Large Language Models (LLMs), before this, knowledge dissemination was limited to subject matter experts who had to study for decades in their fields and remained a small pool or network only growing in size in step increments; LLMs offers not only exponential scale to knowledge but wide access for countries at various growth stages to develop rapidly through discovery of synergetic partnerships. Technology is bringing us together to build a better society with equity in resources for all.
Barrick stands alone in the industry in its ability to replace the gold and copper it mines while simultaneously growing its reserves through exploration and development. With a pipeline of key growth projects, projected to increase production by 30% by the end of the decade without the need to issue new shares or take on unnecessary debt, Barrick remains focused on delivering a sustainably profitable business for the benefit of all stakeholders.
Africa’s future in mining is not only buried beneath the surface – it’s found in the energy, innovation, and leadership of its youth. The Leaders in Extractives and African Development (LEAD) Programme, run by the Minerals to Metals Group at the University of Cape Town (UCT), is nurturing that future.
Designed for early-career professionals under 35, the LEAD Programme offers a transformative learning experience. It equips young leaders across the extractives sector with the tools and knowledge to drive sustainable development in their countries and across the continent.
More than just a course, LEAD is a community. It cultivates a bold cohort of change-makers working across industry, government, and civil society – all united by the belief that mining can serve people and the planet.
The LEAD journey doesn’t end in Cape Town. Through the Alumni Programme, former participants stay connected and continue their impact. This platform supports tangible partnerships, collaborative projects, and strategic initiatives that address real challenges in Africa’s extractive industries.
Alumni are encouraged to apply their leadership by forming policy, launching youth advocacy platforms like the Council for African Youth in Mining (CAYM), and participating in continental forums such as the African Union’s MSME programmes.
Thabani Mlilo, Adjunct Professor, MD UCT Moahi Sustainable Solutions
The LEAD Programme’s results speak for themselves:
• Career and leadership growth of participants
• Visibility through Mining Indaba’s Future Leaders Programme
• Contributions to policy at national and continental levels
• Real-time mentoring and access to decisionmakers across the mining value chain
A core pillar of LEAD’s success is its strategic partnership with Investing in African Mining Indaba. During the second week of the course, participants engage in a curated programme at Mining Indaba, gaining exposure to high-level dialogues with industry leaders, policymakers, and investors.
This experience gives young professionals a rare opportunity to explore how they can lead inclusive and responsible transformation in Africa’s mining sector.
The extractives sector holds immense potential to create jobs and drive industrialisation – but only if youth are included in decision-making and innovation. Barriers to entry are being dismantled, and platforms like LEAD and Mining Indaba are helping make youth voices central to these conversations.
Unlocking the full value of Africa’s mineral wealth means building cross-sector partnerships that centre youth as drivers of progress.
“Africa’s richest untapped natural endowment doesn’t require sophisticated geological studies – it’s above ground, in its youth.”
Growing up in Zimbabwe’s mining town of Kwekwe, Charity rarely saw women in leadership roles in the sector. Today, she owns a small-scale gold mine and leads mentorship programmes across universities to empower young women.
Advice to young people: Start where you are. Ask questions. Build skills. Don’t fear male-dominated spaces – we belong there too.
Stronger Together isn’t just a phrase – it’s how we thrive. We’re not just extracting minerals; we’re extracting leadership, resilience, and a future that’s ours.
Through LEAD and Mining Indaba’s Future Leaders Programme, Charity gained exposure to regional networks and participated in global forums like the ACEP Climate Workshop in Ghana.
With a background in strategy and digital transformation, Sidi entered mining in 2022, managing digital solutions for gold operations across West Africa. Mentored by experienced leaders, he quickly realised the power of collective impact in smart mining. Africa must move from consumer to creator, building the industries, skills, and opportunities needed to fuel sustainable, inclusive growth.
The Mining Indaba Future Leaders Programme broadened my network and perspective –shifting my focus from business value alone to a more inclusive approach that emphasises shared value with communities, employees, governments, and future generations.
Mining has always been part of who I am – growing up in Obuasi, a century-old mining town, and inspired by my father’s career in the sector. I began my journey as a research assistant and community advocate in mining-affected areas of Ghana. Joining the Future Leaders Programme was a defining moment, giving me a seat at the table to engage directly with industry leaders and help shape the future of mining across Africa.
Don’t just study mining – study how it affects people, economies, and the environment.
“Stronger Together” embodies the power of communities standing united for justice, land rights, and meaningful inclusion in mining decisions. Through LEAD and Mining Indaba, grassroots advocacy has been elevated into influential, continent-wide conversations.
Africa’s leading mining voices, united to drive transformation,
In Africa’s resource-rich landscape, the path to sustainable development isn’t forged in isolation – it emerges through meaningful collaboration between governments, companies, communities and investors.
At Mining Indaba 2026, I look forward to facilitating connections that bridge divides, spark innovation, and demonstrate how our collective strength can propel Africa’s economic growth and create lasting prosperity across the continent.
Marcus Courage, CEO, Africa Practice
We are stronger together by building good quality partnerships – this is essential. The mining industry exists beyond machinery! We must acknowledge the interconnectedness of our industry and therefore its huge potential to create a positive impact across societies, the ecosystem, trade, manufacturing, and innovation. The reverse is also true, and we see this playing out today on the world stage. Africa must partner firstly with itself and the world.
Mining Indaba stands as Africa’s premier platform for forging these vital partnerships. Often first movers in this space of balanced & respectful dialogue including youth & vulnerable communities.
Mining INDABA creates space for bold and forward-thinking discussions – changing the landscape for all other platforms to follow! What kind of partner is ideal for positive growth across the continent?
Allison George, Senior Strategic Advisor
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For me, this theme symbolises a call to action. We share one common goal – to build a sustainable and thriving mining industry, that ultimately improves, upskills and uplifts the people in our mining communities and countries. This call to action requires commitment and a concerted collaborative effort from all levels of stakeholders across the sector. Collaboration means everyone – opportunities for the youth, disadvantaged groups, inclusion of women and a stronger presence of female leadership. We must do better and be better, and build a diverse, inclusive and empowered mining economy. Power comes from strength, and strength comes from all of us doing the right thing, together.
Raksha Naidoo, CEO & Chairperson, The Particle Group & Women in Mining South Africa (WIMSA)
The Mining Indaba 2026 theme, “Stronger Together: Progress Through Partnerships,”to me, it highlights the importance of collaboration across sectors, not just within mining, to drive meaningful progress and transformation for the benefit of the current and next generation of citizens. It reflects a shared commitment to building partnerships that foster innovation, address common challenges, and create sustainable and responsible solutions for the mining sector. By working together, industry, government, communities, and other sectors, we can strengthen the impact of our efforts on building the desired African continent.
Prof. Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, University of the Free State
If this current climate teaches us anything, it is that division is the antithesis of progress and resilience. Instead, as the industry needs to grow, so too must our appetite for collaboration and partnerships. These partnerships will need to be formed on the basis of realising, not necessarily a common goal but, a path towards ensuring that all stakeholders have fair and equitable access to the industry and that the impacts the industry exposes us to are positive ones..
Dr. Stacy, Hope Partner ERM
transformation, collaboration, and a stronger future – together.
Africa’s mining sector is moving towards a partnership model where governments, companies, and communities collaborate for shared prosperity and sustainable development. The key to long-term success is the immediate and continued strengthening of these equitable partnerships, based on transparency, accountability, and mutual benefit.
Zenzi Awases, President Association of Women in Mining in Africa (AWIMA)
Cooperation is one of the hardest, yet most important pathways to shifting our sector towards more resilient futures. Mining better means working together, uniting our respective skills and expertises, bringing large ears and a growth mindset into challenging situations. I’m delighted Indaba has made this our theme for 2026.
Estelle Levin-Nally, CEO and Founder Levin Sources
Mining is reaching a point where collaboration has become the lead topic. We are slowly moving from one commodity being better than the other. We are also seeing the importance of collaboration not only internally but also externally, in both the micro and macroeconomic environment. This is imperative for the future of mining as it will see skills being transferable across our environment, allowing for the survival of the overall industry.
Bokang Kelepa, Chief Growth Officer Baletsema Holdings
The future of responsible and resilient mineral supply chains depends on breaking down silos and embracing forms of collaboration we may not yet fully imagine. Mining Indaba 2026’s theme, ‘Stronger Together: Progress Through Partnerships,’ arrives at a pivotal moment. It reflects a necessary shift across the sector, one that calls on all actors to set aside preconceived assumptions and engage more deeply with one another. Only through mutual understanding can we navigate the complexities of this sector and co-develop the business models, investment frameworks, and governance systems needed to meet the mineral demands of the future.
‘Stronger Together’ is more than a theme, it is a call to action for industry, investors, and communities to work in concert to support sustainable, end-to-end supply chains in a rapidly evolving.
Fabiana Di Lorenzo. Senior Director, Impact, Innovation and Credibility Responsible Minerals Initiative
The core African value of Ubuntu is a testament of how #strongertogether in partnership is embedded in our DNA. In these perilous times, with all the developmental headwinds facing Africa, it’s time to renew our focus on Ubuntu in achieving sustained inclusive economic development, together.
Thabani Mlilo, Adjunct Professor, MD UCT Moahi Sustainable Solutions
Get to know the changemakers behind MI26
Govender, CEO & Founding Partner
CGC Management Consulting
For me, the theme speaks to the strength found in unity, how meaningful progress in sustainable development is only possible when we bring diverse voices together around a common purpose. It’s about building partnerships that are inclusive, ethical, and resilient, especially in sectors like mining where the stakes are high, and the impacts are far-reaching.
In Africa’s mining industry, this mindset can shift the narrative from extraction to regeneration. When we prioritize environmental innovation, empower communities, and invest in skills development, mining becomes more than a resource, it becomes a catalyst for long-term, shared prosperity.
Murendeni Makhado Corporate Water Specialist, Implats
Nomvula Mahlangu Mining Engineering Intern, AfriMine Projects and Relations
To me, ‘Stronger Together: Progress Through Partnerships’ means mining isn’t just about minerals – it’s about people, purpose, and partnerships. The future of African mining looks brighter when young voices, industry leaders, and communities come together at platforms like the Mining Indaba to build a more inclusive and innovative industry.
Kudakwashe Chikovo Founder, Earthsafe MineTrace Mastercard Foundation Scholar @ALU
Empowering young tech innovators to elevate small-scale mining in Africa from informal and subsistence practices to data-driven exploration technologies and world-class safety standards. By fostering strategic collaborations between young innovators and industry experts, we can create affordable technological models for small-scale miners, nurturing a new generation to transform mining into a catalyst for innovation and accelerated economic growth in our rural communities.
Stronger Together: Progress Through Partnerships’ means that sustainable growth in African mining relies on collaboration between countries, communities and companies. By working together, African nations can unlock shared value through downstream integration in strategic minerals such as Platinum Group Metals. This will not only enhance our global competitiveness but also build regional expertise. By focusing on partnerships across the value chain, we can drive inclusive growth and ensure Africa takes a leading role in the global mining future.
Katlego Letsoalo Macro and Commodity Outlook Manager Valterra Platinum
Every time we walk into a transformed ECD centre made possible through our partnership with Hyve Group, we witness hope taking root. These are more than buildings – they are safe, inspiring spaces where children can thrive.
Janine McEvoy, Business Development Manager, Breadline Africa
You can’t mine the future if you don’t build it!
In places like Gugulethu, the energy is unmistakable. It pulses with resilience, creativity and potential. But like too many communities across South Africa, it also bears the deep scars of inequality. For too long, children have been expected to learn in unsafe, undignified spaces, including pit toilets that strip away the very hope education is meant to bring.
This is where partnership makes all the difference.
As the mining sector embraces ESG and the principles of a just transition, there is an urgent opportunity, and responsibility, to invest in infrastructure that lays the foundations for long-term social equity. Through our partnership with Mining Indaba, we have seen what becomes possible when intent is matched with action.
Together, we helped transform the Masonwabe Educare Centre, where over 76 children now have access to safe toilets, welcoming classrooms and a community hub that restores dignity and unlocks opportunity. This is not just about bricks and mortar. It’s about building futures and doing it together.
In transitional communities like Komati, where coal power station closures threaten livelihoods and local stability, early childhood development becomes a frontline response to long-term resilience. That is why we built South Africa’s first biomass carbon negative pre-school – a space where children can learn and thrive.
If we are serious about social impact, then we must start at the beginning, in the places where learning begins and confidence is born.
This work is not easy. It is not glamorous. But it is essential. It reminds us that partnership is not charity, it is shared purpose, mutual investment and a commitment to build the future we all want to see.
The 2026 Mining Indaba theme, “Stronger Together: Progress Through Partnerships,” couldn’t be more timely. It reflects a growing understanding that no single sector, company or NGO can do this work alone. But together, we can move further, faster, and with more integrity.
If the mining sector wants to leave a legacy beyond extraction, this is where it begins: in the hearts of children, in the hands of educators, and in the kind of infrastructure that endures long after the last resource is mined.
Change begins with a conversation. If the ideas shared here align with your goals, reach out to explore how lasting impact can be achieved through partnership.
janine@breadlineafrica.org
It’s not just about building toilets or classrooms. It’s about building futures – together.
Janine McEvoy, Business Development Manager, Breadline Africa
50,000+ meals supported through joint ECD and feeding initiatives
4 ECD centres transformed with sustainable infrastructure and learning environments
200+ children to benefit from the upcoming Komati Just Energy Transition ECD hub
1 repurposed MI sales unit converted into a thriving classroom for Dunoon learners
100+ children experienced their first seaside educational outing
100s of lives touched through ongoing investment in learning, safety and opportunity
Nompumelelo Educare (Philippi East)
• 36m² classroom built to provide safe and nurturing learning for 50 young children.
Ubunye Educare (Dunoon)
• Mining Indaba container repurposed into a Grade R classroom and community hub.
• Breadline Africa’s first Biomass Educare Centre – serving 80+ learners in a green, safe space.
• Supported by Hyve Group and complemented by nutrition from Ladles of Love.
Komati JET Programme (Mpumalanga)
• Supporting Just Energy Transition through a planned ECD hub for 200+ children affected by the Komati power station closure.
• A beacon of educational opportunity in a transitioning community.
The MI26 Executive Board: Driving strategy, dialogue, and sustainable transformation.
The Mining Indaba 2026 theme resonates with the South African philosophy of Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a belief that values humanness and, therefore, holds that unity is strength. The MI26 Theme reinforces this philosophy, that when we work together as stakeholders, we craft a better future, we can shape our industries for the betterment of all stakeholders, including the environment. Together we can build the future now!
Frans Baleni, Chairman, Executive Advisory Board, Investing in African Mining Indaba
The theme ‘Stronger together: Progress through partnerships’ is a call to reimagine partnerships in Africa’s journey towards minerals for inclusive prosperity – not as tools of convenience, but as instruments of collective empowerment. It’s a reminder that Africa’s transformation through minerals, can only be achieved when we all – especially women, youth, marginalised communities, artisanal and small-scale miners, governments, industry, civil society, academia, cooperating partners – sit at the table as equal partners. It means forging alliances that centre equity, amplify African voices, and ensure our continent’s mineral wealth transforms lives – not in isolation, but through unity, equity, and shared purpose. Through bold partnerships and a commitment to equity, we can rewrite the story of our mineral wealth – not as a curse, but as a catalyst for justice, prosperity, and dignity for all Africans. Stronger together, we rise!
Dr Marit Kitaw, Mining Indaba Executive Advisory Board, Economic Affairs Officer United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
Stronger together: Progress through partnerships” means uniting governments, private sector, communities, and civil society in a powerful and enduring partnership that will transform mining into a shared triumph for Africa’s future.
Kwasi Ampofo, Mining Indaba Executive Advisory Board, Head of Mining and Metals –BloombergNEF We can no longer operate as before. Neither bulk exports of unrefined ore or export bans are durable solutions. Rather, the industry has to pivot toward practices that provide more value and technology transfer in African nations. This transition will be aided by the introduction of more nimble and economically viable refining technologies and the provision of supportive infrastructure undertaken via public private partnerships.
Tony Carroll, Mining Indaba Executive Advisory Board
Meet the visionaries behind MI26
Raksha Naidoo CEO & Chairperson The Particle Group & Women in Mining South Africa
“Stronger Together” is more than a theme or phrase; it’s a promise. It’s the belief that when we unite, we become a force that can transform not only our industry, but the lives of everyone it touches. For me, it’s a call to action–a reminder that we share one goal: to build a mining sector that uplifts, empowers, and leaves no one behind. This vision demands commitment from every corner of our industry. It means opening doors for the youth, championing the marginalised, and ensuring women are not only included, but leading the way.
I’ve seen the power of partnership in action. Over the years, WiMSA has partnered with Fraser Alexander on numerous occasions to host Career Fairs that have opened doors for aspiring young professionals. Each event has been a spark–industry leaders giving their time, sharing their stories, and offering practical advice. The most powerful moments come when students, many of whom had never imagined a future in mining, suddenly see what’s possible. Hope fills the room as barriers fall and futures shift, all because we choose to stand together and make a difference.
The impact of our WiMSA mentorship initiatives is just as profound. We’ve witnessed mentees rise to new heights, fuelled by the self-belief they gain from being in a room with their peers. It’s in these spaces–whether at our mentorship sessions or at the annual WiMSA Symposium–that women discover they are not alone. Mining can feel isolating, but when we gather, share our stories, and support one another, we realise there are many faces to this industry. Through partnership and solidarity, we help each other unlock our potential and demonstrate that real achievement is rooted in unity.
But progress is a journey and there is still much to do. We must break down old barriers and challenge outdated mindsets. We need to see more women in boardrooms, more diverse voices at every table, and more young people from every background stepping confidently into our industry. This will not happen by chance. It will take bold, collective action: companies working with communities, leaders investing in education, and all of us holding the door open for those who follow.
Research shows that the most innovative, resilient industries are those that embrace diversity and collaboration. The future of mining depends on our willingness to work together–across sectors, across borders, across generations, and across every line of race and gender. Only by embracing the full diversity of our workforce and ensuring equal opportunities for all can we build a stronger, more innovative, and sustainable industry. We need to start with building partnerships that don’t just tick boxes but ignite real change.
“Stronger Together” is our blueprint. When we choose partnership over competition, and lift as we climb, we harness our collective strength to set powerful change in motion, change that resonates far beyond our own careers. The future of mining is not written by a few, but by all of us–standing side by side, determined to leave a legacy of hope, progress, and possibility.
Let’s do this, together.
Founded in 1946 in Angola, the Mota-Engil Group is now a multinational company focused on the construction and management of infrastructure, operating in the areas of Engineering and Construction, Environment, Transport and Concessions, Energy, and Mining.
Its business trajectory is marked by a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, always in search of new horizons. The Group's growth is based on an integrated diversification strategy, which is essential for a company that is increasingly international, innovative, and competitive on a global scale.
Zenzi Awases President Association of Women in Mining in Africa (AWIMA)
Each year, mining companies pour millions into global conferences, high-level summits, and stakeholder forums – often reinforcing the same voices, perspectives, and priorities.
These are packaged as “strategic investments” in the sector’s future. Yet when Women in Mining (WIM) networks lead initiatives – rooted in lived realities, shaped by intersectional insight, and designed for inclusive growth – we are asked to justify, to beg, or to shrink our ambitions to fit a token CSR budget.
This is not just inequity – it is a profound misallocation of capital, influence, and opportunity.
Women in Mining groups across Africa are building ecosystems of trust, innovation, and accountability. We are connecting the invisible value chains –between communities and capital, between policy and practice, between resource wealth and real development. Our work isn’t symbolic. It is structural.
And yet we are underfunded, underrepresented, and systematically underestimated.
This is where Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are no longer optional – they are essential. If designed with intentionality, PPPs can be the scaffolding for a new kind of mining economy: one that is inclusive, regenerative, and rooted in justice.
PPPs that truly work for women must move beyond tick-box inclusion to shared governance, coinvestment, and mutual accountability. They must reflect the wisdom and resilience women bring – not just as beneficiaries, but as co-creators of sustainable systems. Women are not waiting to be empowered – we are building the bridge to the future. The question is: who will walk it with us?
Take the Women in Mining Summit in Namibia in 2024. When no one else stepped forward, Nedbank Namibia partnered with the Women in Mining
Association of Namibia – not for PR, but because they understood that financial inclusion is not peripheral to mining development; it is central. Together, we connected women entrepreneurs in mining to capital, mentorship, and markets. We created impact that no single actor could have achieved alone.
Or consider Tenge Fungurume Mining in the DRC, which supported AWIMA’s inaugural Leadership Awards. Their contribution didn’t just fund a ceremony – it amplified stories of grit, innovation, and leadership. It lit the path for the next generation.
This year, AWIMA entered into a strategic partnership with Hyve Group, the organisers of the annual Invest in Africa Mining Indaba. This collaboration marks a turning point – not only in visibility, but in influence. It represents a sector-wide acknowledgment that women’s voices, networks, and solutions are not fringe, but foundational to Africa’s mining transformation. It’s also a testament to the power of deliberate partnership – where alignment of values meets shared ambition.
And yes – to some, these gatherings may look like just get-togethers or celebrations. But that’s a narrow view. These events are incubators of possibility. It is in these spaces that women encourage each other to stay the course, share lived wisdom, forge new alliances, and strike business deals that shift trajectories. AWIMA’s website is brimming with projects that emerged from these moments – all waiting for the right partnerships to come alive. We don’t just talk about transformation. We organize it.
These are the kinds of partnerships we need. Not handouts. Not symbolism. But collaboration rooted in respect, equity, and a shared vision for transformation.
If we are serious about accelerating change in mining, we must redirect funding flows, redesign partnership models, and reimagine leadership. That means embedding WIM groups in decision-making – not after the deals are signed, but as architects from the start.
“Stronger Together” cannot remain a slogan. It must become a strategy – one that dismantles power asymmetries and builds a sector where women are not the exception, but the norm.
Because the future of mining isn’t just about extracting value – it’s about co-creating it. And we’re ready. We’ve always been ready.
Investors seek returns, and rightly so, but at the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, we are equally committed to ensuring that the benefits of growth and development are shared with workers, communities and the country at large. Progress is only meaningful when it lifts all stakeholders.
Hon. Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Republic of South Africa
I strongly believe in the power of partnerships and collaboration. When we come together with a shared purpose, we not only multiply our efforts, but also deepen our impact. Collaboration allows us to extend our reach, increase our footprint, and deliver more effectively to those in need. It enables us to tap into diverse strengths, share resources, and create more sustainable, scalable solutions. Simply put – we go further, and we go stronger, together.
If you’re not in Africa, you’re not in mining!!! If you’re in mining, Mining Indaba is Africa. Come to 2026 Mining Indaba and prove the world, and Africa, is still a place where people can work together to make a difference: Stronger together: Progress
Progress doesn’t happen in silos- It strives in Partnership. When the Vision of our elders meets the innovation of our youth and industry walks hand in hand with the communities, we don’t just move forward, we secure the future. “”Stronger Together”” isn’t a choice, It is how Africa must lead its mining Future. Real progress begins when we Build Together, Lead Together and Rise Together, because only Together we can mine with integrity and purpose.
Mecktilder Mchomvu, Executive Director, Tanzania Women in Mining & Mineral Industry
The South African mining sector is positively impactful, but even more so in collaboration with government and other social partners,” he says. “The sector is poised for growth and will enable the investment and development of key infrastructure that supports livelihoods and economic growth.
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In a continued effort to foster inclusive development, Beyers Nel, Group CEO of Harmony, recently met with the Premier of the North West Province in Mahikeng.
This strategic engagement is part of Harmony’s broader commitment to collaborate with government stakeholders in regions where the company operates.
The meeting focused on identifying joint opportunities to stimulate economic growth and address key challenges facing the province.
“Our aim is to strengthen our partnership with government in the communities where we operate,” said Beyers Nel, emphasising Harmony’s dedication to sustainable development and social upliftment.
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This engagement follows earlier discussions with the Free State provincial leadership and the Minister of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, signaling a proactive approach to aligning corporate initiatives with public sector priorities.
The Mahikeng meeting marks the beginning of what is expected to be a series of meaningful dialogues between Harmony and provincial leadership, aimed at creating lasting impact through shared value and responsible business practices.
Louise Margolin Deputy editor in chief Africa Business+
Widely used in hydrocarbons, production-sharing contracts (PSCs) are increasingly being written into African mining legislation, albeit slowly.
The 2023 Malian Mining Code is controversial because it cancels certain exemptions and increases royalties and the State’s stake in project capital. The text adopted by the junta in Bamako also introduces the possibility of using a production sharing contract (PSC). Article 7 states that the state may authorise a national or foreign company or legal entity to carry out mining operations by means of service contracts, particularly production sharing contracts.
Cameroon and Burundi introduced PSCs into their new mining legislation in 2023, followed by the Central African Republic in 2024. The three countries are adopting a principle already in the mining codes of Gabon (2019) and Senegal (2016).
Adapting the PSCs to the mining sector could provide a more transparent and balanced framework for distribution of rents.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), although the PSC is not mentioned in the 2018 Mining Code, state-owned Gécamines signed an agreement to implement it. In December 2018, the company, then headed by Albert Yuma, signed a partnership agreement with the Chinese group Hongkong Excellen Mining Investment Co. and its subsidiary Kinga Kila Mining to operate the Kingamyambo and Kilamusembo copper-cobalt projects. Six years later, the sites are still not in production.
Several people interviewed by Africa Business+ said they were working on PSCs from West Africa to Mozambique, but none have been signed. Although the PSC exists on paper, identifying operational mines in Africa governed by this contract is almost impossible.
While PSCs are common in the oil industry, they are difficult to implement in mines. The PSC is an agreement between an operator and a host government. The operator assumes the costs and risks of exploration and production. The state retains ownership of the licence, but both receive a share of the production. The operator recoups its investment by receiving a portion of the production, known as cost oil. The remainder, known as profit oil, is split between the operator and the state.
The economic reality of a mining project differs from hydrocarbons, explains Lucien Bou Chaaya, partner and head of the extractive industries practice at Trinity International: There are few examples of PSCs in mining, limiting feedback. Unlike hydrocarbons, valuation of mining production is more complex: raw ore is heterogeneous, difficult to measure, and only acquires full value after processing. This makes setting up a production-sharing mechanism trickier, both technically and legally.
Laurence Vanderstraete, senior counsel at De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés, agrees: A mine often has a shorter lifespan than an oil field. The equivalent of cost oil in mining is harder for the State and the operator to set, because investments are spread over time, beyond the exploration and construction phases. The concept similar to profit oil is also more complex, because a mine’s grades and extraction costs can change over time.
Each mineral and mining project is different, with its own operational and financial challenges. A typical mining PSC cannot be replicated ad infinitum, but must be adapted for each partner.
PSCs disrupt the traditional partnership model between the state and the operator in most African countries with the concession system. Under concessions, the operator owns a licence, while the state is compensated through royalties, taxes, or dividends if it is a minority shareholder. With a PSC, the operator is a paid service provider. “The State is a true industrial partner, beyond managing its shareholding in a project,” added Moez Ajmi, partner at EY. It receives funds from its share of production.
An operation that can be more profitable than collecting dividends, says the EY expert. Lucien Bou Chaaya believes adapting the PSCs to the mining sector could provide a more transparent and balanced framework for distribution of
rents, in particular during rising prices. However, implementation requires overcoming legal and technical obstacles like indivisibility of titles, rigid taxation, and lack of product standardisation. »
In the aforementioned Francophone mining legislations, it’s unclear if the concession system will be abandoned if the PSC is adopted. In Cameroon, the new legislation allows production sharing and the State’s minority shareholding in the operating company’s capital to coexist within a mining convention, reflecting a general desire of governments to economically use their sovereign rights over mineral resources, » said Vanderstraete. Bertrand Montembault, a partner at Herbert Smith Freehills, noted the aim of introducing the PSCs into legislation is not to propose an alternative mining rents sharing system to the concession system but to introduce a new element in the State’s mining rents.
A double jeopardy? Bou Chaaya believes that the traditional production sharing mechanism should allow taxes, duties, etc. to be included in the State’s share. However, depending on the jurisdiction, certain taxes may be expressly excluded from this perimeter and must be borne directly by the operator.
Due to the upheaval and difficulties of implementing PSC, several Africa Business+ sources doubt its large-scale development in the African mining sector, believing it’s being introduced into legislation to make it more attractive, like the highly lucrative oil industry. Instead, they’re banking on increased government demand for pre-emption or rights over their mining production share. Gécamines has obtained the right to market its stake in several mines, including Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM) and Sicomines.
Vanderstraete believes a trend favoring PSC is emerging among African states seeking more involvement in mining projects. Bou Chaaya believes a PSC-type mechanism in mining could address tensions linked to mineral price volatility. A PSC would better anticipate these dynamics by providing a contractual distribution of production or value based on the real economic performance. It should provide a clearer, fairer, and more stable framework for sharing mining rents, even during super-cycles or price volatility, he explained.
Martin Creamer Mining Weekly Editor
New technology, which uses sound to recover 92% of platinum from hydrogen fuel cell stacks, is emerging from Johnson Matthey, a company which, interestingly, has a long-standing South African presence.
Earlier this year, the company founded in 1817, reported in a White Paper that the growing need for platinum group metals (PGMs) cannot be met through conventional below-surface mining alone.
Now, it has put its money where its mouth is though research and development that uses what journalist Angie Bergenson described in the latest edition of Hydrogen Fuel News as “acoustic cavitation – that’s basically bubbles formed by sound waves – to gently, but effectively, break apart the membrane structure”.
The technology has the potential to recover a lot more PGM material, augment mining in a far cleaner way,
Acoustic cavitation technology – that’s basically bubbles formed by sound waves – has the potential to recover a lot more PGM material, augment mining in a far cleaner way, and may also work for water electrolyser recycling
and may also work for water electrolyser recycling, another key piece of the green hydrogen puzzle.
The membrane electrode assembly (MEA) material disassembled by the technology is the central part of platinum-based proton exchange membrane (PEM) green hydrogen fuel cells that provide emission-free mobile and stationary energy arguably with the greatest holism and effectiveness.
A fuel cell stack consists of many single cells stacked up so that the platinum-based cathode of one cell is electrically connected to the anode of the adjacent cell. In that way, exactly the same current passes through each of the cells.
The World Platinum Investment Council this week saw fit to draw attention on LinkedIn to this new technology, which is seen as being
poised to contribute significantly to the circular economy and to ensure that recycling makes a greater contribution to the availability of PGMs, some of them far scarcer than others.
This innovation, in which the UK’s University of Leicester features prominently, is described as marking “a big step toward closing the loop in platinum recovery and pushing us closer to a future where clean tech gets smarter, greener, and a whole lot more sustainable”.
Interestingly from a local viewpoint is that if you drive down Henderson road in Germiston South, you will come across the name Johnson Matthey Pty, which is part of “an ambition to be a world leader in sustainable technology solutions, transforming energy and reducing carbon emissions, for a cleaner, brighter future”, through collaboration with customers, partners, academic research institutions, and innovation ecosystems.
Significantly lowered through all of this is also the involvement of fluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or what are known as PFAS, sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals”.
In 2023, it was reported that Johnson Matthey had signed an investment agreement with the Jiading District in Shanghai to help accelerate the hydrogen economy in China by building a new catalyst-coated membrane production facility, providing production capability for multiple PEM fuel cell applications and PEM electrolysers, which turn water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Catalyst-coated membranes typically consist of platinum cathodes and iridium anodes, which are applied to solid membranes in a way that reportedly maximises hydrogen production.
Water flows into the catalyst-coated membrane, where an iridium catalyst uses electrical energy to break water molecules into oxygen, protons and electrons. The electrons are driven through the external circuit and protons then cross the membrane. A platinum catalyst puts the protons and electrons back together to form hydrogen.
This membrane is a key performancedefining component in fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV). China has said it aims to have a million FCEVs on its roads by 2030.
The French company Lhyfe this week drew major attention to steps that are being taken to convert grey hydrogen, already in use, to green hydrogen, and made reference to its use of PEM technology.
Lhyfe reported that Europe is currently consuming seven-million tonnes of grey hydrogen and mention was also made of the large volumes of grey hydrogen produced by South Africa’s synthetic fuels and chemicals producer, Sasol.
“There’s nothing that is easier to do when decarbonising a customer, a plant, an industrial player, than switching from grey hydrogen to green hydrogen, so that’s what we are doing. We have been building new plants to address the new market,” said Lhyfe founder the CEO Matthieu Guesné during an online presentation covered by Mining Weekly.
“Decarbonising existing industry is as important as decarbonising mobility because 23% of CO2 emissions are linked to energy usage by industry, so it is important to understand that the market for green hydrogen is already there,” Guesné pointed out.
Gerard Peter Editor-in-Chief, Mining Review Africa
The Impact Catalyst was formed in 2019 to create mechanisms that drive socio-economic development initiatives through public-private partnerships. Its founding partners were Anglo American, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Exxaro, World Vision South Africa, the Industrial Development Cooperation (IDC) and Zutari. It began its work in 2020, and today, board members comprise Anglo American, CSIR, IDC, Sasol, Kudumane Manganese Resources (KMR) and the Minerals Council of South Africa.
CEO, Charl Harding states that the the organisation works with various mining companies, communities, corporate organisations in South Africa and municipalities on a regional level. It also works with government departments through the office of the premier in each province.
Harding explains that the Impact Catalyst, established to create economies of scale, ensures effective socio-economic development. “Most of our partners had a problem where they were investing money in communities through different mechanisms such as Corporate Social Investment (CSI), Social and Labour Plans (SLPs), Socio-Economic Development (SED) and Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) funding. However, they have had limited impact on a regional level because they are focused on specific communities. By pooling resources, it is much easier to replicate those programmes on a bigger scale over time, ensuring a bigger impact.”
Already, the Impact Catalyst has introduced several initiatives that are improving the lives of communities.
The Impact Catalyst has outlined several initiatives to enable socio-economic development. This includes economic development, health, education, social empowerment, service delivery and environmental sustainability.
Already, the Impact Catalyst has introduced several initiatives that are improving the lives of communities. One such initiative is assisting small-scale cattle farmers in the Northern Cape. “To date, we have trained about 260 farmers on farming and breeding methods and given them access to markets. We have also donated cattle to them, aiming to create an additional R3 million in revenue and 1,400 jobs in the next five years,” Harding states.
For the past two years, the organisation has been part of the IDC’s social employment fund and appointed 6,466 youth in three provinces who were employed in alien vegetation removal, setting up community gardens and waste management. “These individuals are cleaning up around the mines, and we have set up waste recycling plants which contribute to the waste economy,” Harding adds.
The Impact Catalyst has also built a fresh produce market in Rustenburg, which opened for trade last September and will be officially launched this year. The market will significantly impact smallscale produce farmers in the area. Not only will it provide an avenue for them to sell their goods, but is expected to create 1,000 indirect jobs as well as stimulate the farming community in the region.
