Multidisciplinary services provider SRK says this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, will serve as the basis for strengthening the company’s global brand.

“By exhibiting and having our technical consultants at the event, we hope to expand the company’s global presence,” says SRK chairperson Roger Dixon, who believes the indaba will be dominated by topics such as how the market has responded to the European debt crisis; the Arab Spring, which has seen a wave of protests by citizens in the Arab world, resulting in a civil war in Libya and a change in the governments of that country and Egypt, Yemen and Tunisia; as well as the growing trend of resource nationalisation.

SRK says it continues to exhibit at the Mining Indaba as the event is a unique opportunity to meet its established clients, while creating new relationships with potential customers.

Dixon adds that the indaba also allows the company to bring members of its global practice together over four days, which affords the organisation the opportunity to meet many of its clients.

He says the company is aware of the current global interest in commodities, such as coal, iron-ore, copper and uranium, and will seek to gain from the conference, which will present reviews and outlooks on commodities such as copper and coal.

SRK says it will host a sunset cruise along the coast to Camps Bay on February 7 for networking purposes.

“The cruise intends to promote business with old and new clients, while [taking in] some of the most beautiful scenery South Africa has to offer,” says Dixon.

Meanwhile, SRK has opened an office in Accra, Ghana, following several decades of providing mining services to West African projects.

SRK Ghana will initially offer geotechnical services, including rock mechanics, tailings engineering and civil geotechnics. The range of SRK’s other ser- vices, namely environmental, hydrogeological, mining engineering and geology, will be devel- oped in the medium term, explains SRK Ghana manager John Kwofie.

The engineering consultancy has taken part in projects in the West African country, including the Damang gold mine expansion project, and a feasibility study conducted at the Tarkwa openpit gold mine.

SRK also conducted a geotechnical evaluation of the Bibiani pit and its satellites at the Bibiani gold mine, 250 km north-west of Accra.

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