The mining industry in Africa needs to embrace change to become a global competitor, with the key minerals increasingly required to drive a sustainable future for the planet being present continent-wide, which will be a main theme to be discussed at length during the 2024 Investing in African Mining Indaba to be held over February 5 to 8 in Cape Town.

Under the theme ‘Embracing the power of positive disruption: A bold new future for African mining’, the conference will include a ministerial symposium on February 4, as well as feature numerous concurrent streams and presidential addresses where all strategic and influential stakeholders will gather to network and exchange ideas that will propel their businesses forward.

The presidential address will be given by Angola President João Lourenço.

“We want to disrupt traditional thinking around processes and conversations and explore what our industry truly needs to resolve challenges,” explains Mining Indaba content head Laura Cornish.

She explains that the Investing in African Mining Indaba wants to provide content that does not shy away from the difficult questions and for the industry to share in this vision, showcasing how mining roleplayers are disrupting the industry to achieve a brighter future.

“Technology is the main requirement to achieve this, but so are ideas and thoughts around changing most conventional approaches to health and safety, exploration, beneficiation, the workforce, our future generation, and so much more,” says Cornish.

She emphasises that 2024 will be a key year, providing the opportunity to be “bold and daring” and to shift the conversation, and that next year represents only the start of this new journey.

Cornish explains that over the years the event has evolved to include a variety of content streams and special sessions addressing diverse subjects of relevance in addition to unveiling the programmes that will support the theme of the event.

“Mining Indaba is addressing its content and position with more robustness than ever before, urging the mining industry to dig deeper to identify widespread answers to the sector's existing difficulties,” she says.

The yearly Mining Indaba brings together Ministers, other senior government representatives, mining companies, midtier and junior miners, investors, professional services firms, as well as mining equipment developers and service providers.

The 2024 Mining Indaba will also feature a three-day intergovernmental summit, an investor series with investor specific content, an industry intelligence series, discussion of disruptive technologies; a two-day sustainability series, a technology and innovation hub; and a single-day series on junior miners, young leaders and general counsel.