Remote Exploration Services (RES) and Remote Drilling Services (RDS), both part of exploration and mining firm MS Group, will be exhibiting its ability to implement and fully support exploration and drilling projects in the most remote areas in Africa at the 2014 Investing in African Mining Indaba, which will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from February 3 to 6, says RES COO Bradley Wade.

Further, Mantle Mapper, a procedure developed by Mineral Services, the diamond specialist division of the MS Group, to quantitatively analyse the abundance and composition of key mantle-derived minerals, or indicator minerals, in kimberlite, will also be displayed at the indaba.

This enables quick, cost effective and reliable evaluation of the diamond potential of a host body, as well as an assessment of the nature and general prospectivity of the mantle sampled.

Rigorous and consistent sample processing, indicator mineral recovery and analytical procedures are employed to ensure that the data obtained are representative, quantitative and reproducible for analysis.

Mineral Services founder Dr John Gurney has led the development of this method over the last 40 years, which is extensively used in exploration and evaluation projects worldwide.

Wade believes that the Mining Indaba is Africa’s leading platform for exposure to the latest news and trends in the African mining industry, adding that it gives the company an opportunity to engage with its clients and meet new players in the market.

He notes that, although the exploration industry has experienced a downturn of late, as companies are hesitant to spend money, the company hopes to encounter people who are positive about making discoveries despite global market trends.

Further, the company hopes to establish new business relationships with companies wanting to work with equally passionate, discovery-focused explorers to take their projects forward in highly technical, innovative, and results-driven ways.

Wade adds that the company is also looking forward to the keynote address by Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu and to hearing key players’ future exploration plans.

An advantage of the event, he notes, is that it enables the company to meet clients, which operate all over the world throughout the year, face to face.

“We do not have any specific targets that we aim to achieve during the event, as we believe that good, long-term, mutually beneficial business comes through building relationships with clients. “We aim to build on existing relationship and forge new ones this year,” says Wade.

The company hopes that, after the indaba, attendees will have gained knowledge of opportunities for the growth of the mining industry and that they will embrace these opportunities to make the next big discoveries a reality.

“I hope there will be some pressure on the South African government to encourage transparency and, in turn, investor confidence in the South African mining environment,” he adds.

Wade explains that the Mining Indaba assists with the growth of the African mining industry, as it enables key players in government and industry to have open discussions about what is needed, what is lacking and what can be shared to commonly address the most important and the most urgent matters affecting the African mining industry.