July 2014
MODERN MINING
43
MINING IN AFRICA
ture
so that they do not just create islands of pros-
perity in a sea of poverty.”
Better infrastructure tends to reduce oper-
ating costs, making mining operations more
competitive with their international counter-
parts; this in turn lowers the risk of operations
closing down due to unprofitability dur-
ing downturns in the commodity cycle, and
improves their long-term economic impact on
the host country and community.
“Africa’s growing skills base can further
enhance infrastructure improvements and
together create a more solid foundation for
national development,” said Dixon. “While
the mining sector world-wide does face skill
shortages from time to time, there is still consid-
erable expertise in many parts of the continent
that needs to be nurtured and grown.
“The days of importing skills from abroad
must come to an end, as the practice is neither
beneficial nor sustainable. The sector must
focus on supporting local education and train-
ing institutions that foster local experience
and skills; this way, there is a greater chance
of retaining these skills and transferring them
to future generations.”
Dixon highlighted some of the most exciting
opportunities for future mining development
on the continent, including large deposits
of iron ore in West African countries such as
Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cameroon.
The region also has rich resources of diamonds,
manganese, gold and bauxite.
Southern Africa boasts the world’s larg-
est reserves of platinum – in South Africa’s
Bushveld Igneous Complex and on Zimbabwe’s
Great Dyke. The Lufilian Arc in Zambia and
the DRC hosts world-class deposits of copper
and cobalt, and diamonds are mined in SA,
Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Angola.
Manganese, uranium and coal resources in
Southern Africa are also substantial.
North Africa has traditionally been a source
of minerals such as iron ore (in Algeria and
Mauritania), bauxite (in Niger) and phosphate
(in Morocco and Tunisia); in recent decades,
gold has also been mined in countries like Mali
and Burkina Faso.
Mining in East Africa has focused mainly
on gold deposits, with the Nubian belt in
Ethiopia being one important location for
future growth.
“The days of
importing skills
from abroad must
come to an end,
as the practice is
neither beneficial
nor sustainable.”
Roger Dixon,
SRK Consulting
