CAPE TOWN (miningweekly.com) – With the interplay between technological development and the mining industry becoming increasingly prominent, delegates at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba have been urged to embrace the concept of digital mining.

Diversified metals and mining major Vedanta Resources CEO Tom Albanese told indaba delegates that industry stakeholders underappreciated the level of technology needed in mining today, adding that Africa was “quite risk averse” when it came to technology innovation.

“There’s a whole new phase of activity confronting the mining sector called digital mining . . . It is real [and] every single employee in [Vedanta Resources] will soon have a set of information, which is powerful.”

He explained that, through technology, employees would be able to identify waste areas on a real-time basis. “We have to recognise that, as a sector, we need to continue to innovate and uplift the skills of everyone,” he said.

Albanese noted that natural progressions from technology would require transition as well as management change, which people should embrace.

“Technology is going to be our saviour as a sector. As companies we need to celebrate the hotbed of innovation.”

He said the industry was seeing lots of innovative ideas coming out of Africa, while his own company, which he said had the advantage of 10 000 engineers, had already established design centres.

Meanwhile, technology and consulting company IBM South Africa country manager Hamilton Ratshefola told delegates that technological development was impacting on all aspects of the industry value chain, prompting the need for higher-level skills.

Similarly, in the information technology sector, Ratshefola saw an expansion of jobs that needed “middle-level skills”. He said these would be geared towards students who not only have a matric qualification, but also  have the technical skills needed for the new roles. 

Ratshefola said IBM was collaborating with government to create new training resources and was exploring how schools could be remodelled to deliver job-ready candidates to fill the new positions.

Meanwhile, a team of experts from IBM has recommended that an innovation hub be set up in mining-rich Limpopo, which would drive the province’s transition from a resource-based economy to a more inclusive, knowledge-based economy.

He described innovation hubs as social communities, or workspace and research centres, that provide information andexpertise on technological trends, knowledge and strategic innovation management, as well as industry-specific insight. This would enable researchers and business experts, industry and government to share knowledge with each other. 

The IBM experts and volunteers who recommended that the innovation hub be established had worked at the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, as well as at the University of Limpopo and Ivanhoe’s Platreef mine, to conclude the assignment.

In collaboration with the government, IBM had invested in a research lab that would focus on creating solutions based on the needs and systems in Africa. It was also working with leaders in cities to make South Africa’s major cities more attractive for investors. This involved intelligent security in Johannesburg, economic development in Durban, water management in Tshwane and the management of social services in Cape Town.