Perth-based CPC Engineering has entered into a joint venture (JV) with African companies, called Africa Project Partnerships (APP), to service the continent’s mining industry.

The JV was formed in the first quarter of the year, bringing together companies with expertise across a range of disciplines and with the ability to deliver engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects.

APP comprises Advent Construction, based in Tanzania; Fenix Construction, in Mozambique; Gear Mining Construction, in Botswana; Ignite Energy, in South Africa; Steel Services and Allied Industries, in South Africa; Strutfast Cable Management Solutions, in South Africa; and Power Plant Electrical Technologies, in South Africa.

Together they employ 1 100 people and have completed 15 projects throughout Africa in the past five years valued at $120-million, including the Katanga Mining Rehabilitation project, in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); the Wassa gold mine advancement to underground and the Prestea underground gold mine rehabilitation, in Ghana; the construction of the new Unki platinum smelter, in Zimbabwe; and the Mopani mine headgear project, in Zambia.

APP is working with the South African Department of Trade and Industry and the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa, since they provide market information, trade statistics and product analysis, as well as the prospect of project development funding.

The JV is currently examining several projects in mining and heavy industrial processing in South Africa, the DRC, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

Further, APP enables CPC Engineering, which employs more than 300 people and has a wealth of experience in Africa, to benefit from the highly regarded reputations and experience of its partners.

CPC CE Glen Weir said the JV was a commercially competitive extension to the value proposition CPC could offer to its existing and new clients, and their projects on the African continent.