Looking for Business Opportunities in the African Mining Industry? Here’s Your September Roundup

by Ina King (Potgieter) September 22, 2020

With approximately 2 000 ongoing mining projects, Africa’s mining industry has a massive demand for mining equipment, technologies and services. And this demand is only likely to grow, as the continent cements its position as the world’s most important minerals industry, with an abundance of resources that will be in high demand in our industrial future.

For suppliers of these goods and services, growing or establishing a foothold in this rapidly developing industry is a key strategic business objective.

The challenge, however, is how?

Mining suppliers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) need to identify and react to new project opportunities quickly and competitively. Doing so requires sales teams to have access to accurate, real-time intelligence about new mining projects to ideally get specified prior to the tendering process.

This is the service provided by Africa Mining IQ. By providing in-depth intelligence about mining projects, categorised according to mine lifecycle or development phase, Africa Mining IQ allows suppliers to hone in on projects requiring their services and equipment in the regions they support or want to grow.

Once relevant opportunities have been identified, suppliers and OEMs have access to the key contact details for both mine owners and engineers, and submit a competitive bid.

Here’s how to find new business opportunities:

Step 1: In which mine phase do you supply services or products to?

First of all, select which project phase you service:

Grassroots

Current number of projects: 191 (6-month change: -2)

Services required: “Desktop / Concept” Studies before any groundwork is done and “Grassroots Exploration” through perimeter drilling; reconnaissance and evaluative forays (preliminary geological or engineering survey).

Prefeasibility

Current number of projects: 281 (6-month change: +27)

Services required: Aeromagnetic / geophysical surveys, mapping, geochemical and soil sampling, core sample drilling, modelling and infill drilling to confirm resource and grades of the orebody.

Feasibility

Current number of projects: 151 (6-month change: +11)

Services required: Mine, equipment, and best process method planning; funding; Environmental Impact Studies (EIS); engineers/consultants for scoping studies and various types feasibility studies; OEMs, suppliers of goods and service providers.

Bankable

Current number of projects: 54 (6-month change: +5)

Services required: Balance of funding; architectural planning, design and consulting through Engineering, Procurement, Construction Management (EPCM) / Engineering, Procurement Construction (EPC); OEMs, suppliers of goods and service providers.

Active

Current number of projects: 61 (6-month change: +3)

Services required: Civil works, construction, infrastructure, shaft-sinking, process plant construction, accommodation, roads, etc.

Operational

Current number of projects: 390 (6-month change: +11)

Services required: Expansion, refurbishment and aftermarket, including maintenance, repairs or replacements services or goods/products.

Step 2: Filter relevant projects by region

Once you have identified the projects in the lifecycle phase you service, further refine your search by locations you have the capabilities to service.

Grassroots

Suppliers providing services to grassroots mining projects should look to South Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Botswana for new business, although a number of other exciting projects also exist across the continent. Gold remains the main driver of these projects, accounting for almost two thirds of all grassroots projects.

Pre-feasibility

South Africa, Namibia, Mali, Tanzania, Botswana, Burkina Faso and the DRC boast the highest number of early-stage mining projects, together accounting for almost 70% of the continent’s pre-feasibility projects. In the West African region, gold resources are the main driver of this uptake in projects, with Burkina Faso’s gold boom set to continue with an impressive 20 gold projects in this phase. Elsewhere, pre-feasibility portfolios are more diverse, including copper, coal, diamonds and PGM.

Feasibility

South Africa accounts for approximately 20% of the continent’s projects in the feasibility stage, propelled by a diverse range of minerals, from vanadium and phosphate to PGM, iron ore and gold. That the country boasts the most developed mining industry on the continent, it is remarkable that it still leads the way in projects working towards feasibility. Elsewhere, Senegal, Tanzania, Botswana and Mozambique also offer numerous exciting developing projects.

Bankable

The big 3 in bankable projects in Africa are South Africa (12), Eritrea (10) and Tanzania (10), which together account for over 60% of Africa’s projects in this phase. The major resources spurring these projects are gold, coal, graphite and iron ore.

Active

South Africa has over 30 active projects, the most of any country on the continent. The DRC and Mozambique also feature a number of active projects, which are spread across a variety of minerals including coal, copper, gold and PGM.

Operational

Predictably, South Africa still boasts the majority of operational mines across Africa, accounting for over half the total projects. It demands a continuous, vast supply of equipment, goods and services to achieve its day-to-day operations. Despite a historically entrenched supply chain, the industry is showing steady progress in upgrading to modern, smart mining technologies, presenting a wide range of opportunities for information and automation companies. Elsewhere in Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, the DRC and Ghana also feature a number of operational projects with a growing need for equipment and services.

Step 3: Obtain regularly updated Contact Details

Once you have filtered relevant projects by service requirements and by region, you can make contact with the relevant project stakeholders using the key contact information supplied by Africa Mining IQ. Africa Mining IQ holds contact information for 4 161 mine owners and 986 project engineers/consultants, and guarantees verified contact details for each listing. Armed with this intelligence, OEMs and mining suppliers can invest their sales efforts in the most targeted, relevant projects, improving their efficiency in targeting the most worthwhile business opportunities.

Conclusion

Africa is the world’s most exciting investment destination for mining, with a value chain requiring an ongoing, massive scope of work for suppliers. It’s critical that suppliers to the industry have access to the latest, up-to-date project intelligence in order to capitalise on these exciting opportunities.