Cape Town, South Africa — The African Development Bank is playing a key role in Mining Indaba, the world's largest mining investment conference, which takes place from February 6-9, 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa. The Bank will bring together Ministers, mining sector experts and decision-makers from multilaterals in a number of workshops designed to help countries position themselves as investment destinations while making the most out of mining projects on the continent.
On Monday February 6, the AfDB's African Natural Resources Center (the Center) and African Legal Support Facility (ALSF) kicks off the Bank's co-sponsorship of this year's Mining Indaba with a showcase of its training program to help African countries negotiate better mining deals. The event includes a presentation by Thomas Viot, Principal Domestic Linkages Officer at the Center, followed by a panel discussion on the training program with Addi Azza, Adviser to the Minister of Mines, Water and Environment of Morocco; Stephen Karangizi, Director of ALSF; and Torge Hamkens, Adviser of the Extractives and Development Project, at the German development agency, GIZ. Amani Abou-Zeid, Acting Director of the African Natural Resources Center, will open the session.
On Tuesday February 7, the ALSF in partnership with the World Bank Group and the African Union Commission, will launch the Africa Mining Legislation Atlas (AMLA) Project's Guiding Template, a reference tool designed to assist African governments who are revising or instituting new mining laws. Fatima Haram Acyl, Commissioner for Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission, will open a panel discussion with Stephen Karangizi, Director of the ALSF, Sheila Khama, Practice Manager, Energy and Extractives at the World Bank, and Christopher Stevens of LexAfrica and Werkmans LLC.
On February 8, the ALSF will hold a training workshop for governments to improve corporate governance frameworks and practices in the boardroom in order to reap the expected benefits from state equity participations, particularly in the extractives sector.
Mining Indaba is the world's largest mining investment conference and the largest mining event in Africa. The event unites investors, mining companies, governments and other stakeholders from around the world to learn and network. Its overall aim is advancing mining on the continent.
Africa's natural resources have been the bedrock of the continent's economy and, despite the current commodities slump, they continue to represent a significant development opportunity. Seventy-seven per cent of the world's platinum is produced in South Africa and 53% of the world's cobalt production is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
