CANADA PAVILION International Development and La Francophonie Minister Christian Paradis inaugurating the Canada Pavilion at the 2014 Mining Indaba
The Canada government will highlight recent initiatives demonstrating its commitment to supporting the responsible and sustainable development of Africa’s mineral resources at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, which will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from February 9 to 12.
High Commission of Canada Trade Office in South Africa commercial counsellor Gregory Goldhawk tells Mining Weekly that Canada is providing financial assistance to the Tanzania and Mozambique governments to strengthen the management of their natural resources. This, in turn, will hopefully result in long-term sustainable development to the benefit of the countries’ citizens.
In a joint project with the World Bank, which was launched in February 2014, Canada will provide C$15.5-million to Tanzania over the next five years to develop the country’s energy sector.
This will also help the Tanzania government to develop public–private partnerships to generate electricity and to stimulate economic growth and development.
Further, in February 2014, Mozambique received the first tranche of the C$18.5-million over six years provided by Canada to fund skills training centres of excellence in Tete and Cabo Delgado to train up to 4 000 Mozambicans for skilled jobs in Tete’s mining sector and Cabo Delgado’s hydrocarbons sector.
The country will also provide Mozambique’s Ministry of Mineral Resources with C$200 000 to help develop a national corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy for the mining and hydrocarbons industries.
Meanwhile, Canada also launched a programme in January to develop cross-border mining, and oil and gas projects in Africa.
The Extractives Cooperation for Enhanced Economic Development programme, which will at first have a budget of up to C$25-million a year, will include strategic partnerships with Canadian and international institutions and will provide technical assistance for African countries.
Canada has also organised separate conferences in the vicinity of the CTICC, which will run parallel to the indaba, and during which investment attractiveness in African mining jurisdictions, as well as Canadian mining houses’ CSR best practices, will be discussed.
“Countries in Africa, particularly those in the early stages of developing their mineral resources sector, can draw from Canada’s experience, approaches and operational best practice,” states Goldhawk.
He believes that Canada has a genuine stake in the sustainable development of Africa’s mining industry, which was demonstrated in concrete terms in January last year when Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that the country would contribute C$15.3-million to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa’s African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC).
This makes Canada the largest contributor among the founding donors, which include Australia, the UK, the European Union, Germany and France.
“The establishment of the AMDC is a positive and critical step in helping the African Union realise the ambitions of the African Mining Vision, which advocates the transparent, equitable and optimal exploitation of mineral resources in Africa to support broad-based sustainable growth and socioeconomic development,” Goldhawk emphasises.
Canada at the Indaba
Goldhawk says that, together with the yearly Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention, the Investing in African Mining Indaba is one of the world’s major mining events.
“As a nation with a great deal of experience in mining sector development, including private-sector engagement, skills development, regulatory and governance improvement, as well as environmental management, Canada participates in large events like the indaba to share knowledge and learn,” he says.
While it will be Goldhawk’s first attendance at the Mining Indaba this year, he tells Mining Weekly that participation in the Mining Indaba by the Canada government dates back to 1996.
He adds that, over time, the government’s presence at the indaba has increased simultaneously with the event’s increasing prominence globally.
Goldhawk says the Canada government’s yearly interactive breakfast forum, which takes place on the margins of the Mining Indaba, allows for a “fulsome discussion” of some of the most pressing and relevant issues in the mining world.
“The 2014 forum was oversold; therefore, anyone interested in attending this year must register early,” he warns.
Last year’s Canadian delegation at the Mining Indaba was led by International Development and La Francophonie Minister Christian Paradis.
He attended several roundtables with Canadian industry leaders and met with several African Mining Ministers.
Paradis also oversaw the signing of a letter of intent between the Canadian International Resources and Development Institute and the AMDC in February 2014.
“This agreement demonstrated our commitment to long-term partnerships between Canadian and African institutions,” states Goldhawk.
He further points out that during its Mining Indaba presentations, Canada makes its experience available to attendees as one of the largest mining nations in the world and communicates the state of the industry in Canada and internationally, and the developments that have taken place in the country’s mining sector over the past year.