“Next upsurge in commodity cycle 6 to 12 months away”

Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB) is hosting the inaugural East & Central Africa Mining Forum conference and exhibition, which will gather regional ministers and pioneering mining professionals and projects, from 28-29 October at the Kigali Convention Centre. 

“We are opening up our mining sector in a way that has not been done in the past” says Hon. Francis Gatare, CEO of the RMB, “providing as much geological information as possible and we have recently revised our regulatory framework from policy to mining code and regulation - to not only make it competitive for companies to operate in but to also provide a platform that will make it easy for companies to comply with regulatory requirements.”

“Geology tends to be regional” he adds, “there is no single country that has a monopoly on its own geological endowments; they tend to be regional and similar in many regards. This makes it important to share geological information across the region. It's also very important for the country to share experiences and in turn start to see mineral resources as regional projects, especially when you begin to think about processing on a competitive level that would bring in economic returns.”

Focus on opportunities in the region
The two-day, high-level industry event will focus on the opportunities in the regional mining industry; providing access to best practices; gaining insights into reliable, cost effective technologies; and fast-tracking financial support. Industry participation will include junior mining operators and exploration companies; stakeholders from the mining equipment, technology and service (METS) sector; transport and logistics firms to help cross-border cooperation; and financiers, who will help provide the right financial model and tools for projects of any scale.

East & Central Africa Mining Forum is expected to gather regional mining ministers and high-level government representatives, more than 20 mines and exploration companies in the region and some 40 sponsors and exhibitors from around 25 countries. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the matchmaking system to ensure effective and focused networking.

Next commodity cycle upsurge 6-12 months away
Dr Tony Harwood, President and CEO of Montero Mining, a geologist with over 30 years of experience in mining, is involved in developing lithium and tin projects in Namibia, a rare earth project in Tanzania and gold projects in Ethiopia. An event ambassador, he is also a panellist in a conference session entitled “Tanzania: Diversifying its mining potential” at East & Central Africa Mining Forum.

Dr Harwood says aligning countries to attract mining investment and take advantage of the next commodity cycle is the main challenge in the mining sector in East Africa currently, adding “we are 6 to 12 months away from the advent of the next upsurge in the commodity cycle.”

According to the Montero Mining CEO it is important for the sector to meet at the upcoming East and Central Africa Mining Forum: “natural resources are a driver to national wealth and job-creating, helping nation-building through development and beneficiation. The geology and natural resource endowment are good, resources are available and the skills are there to be developed. Poverty persists which needs to be resolved by wealth creation by responsible investment and Government assistance and effective regulation. Corruption needs to be addressed.”

Rwanda ready to create value addition
Another conference speaker and event ambassador is Aleksandra Cholewa, Director of Investment and Development at Luma Holdings LTD; LuNa Smelter in Rwanda. LuNa Smelter is also a gold sponsor at East & Central Africa Mining Forum.

“LuNa Smelter is a newly established tin smelter in Kigali,” says Aleksandra, “and it is our priority and together with the team, we are excited about the development of our newly acquired exploration assets in Rwanda.”

She continues: “Rwanda is ready to create value addition within the mining sector. Existing gold refinery, active tin smelter and upcoming tantalum refinery are proving these facts. Rwanda is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa with stable credit rankings and high levels of governance and transparency. I believe significant investment in road, power and communications infrastructure have facilitated continued economic growth.”

More high-level speaker highlights to include:

• Hon. Doto Biteko, Minister, Ministry of Minerals, Tanzania
• Hon. Francis Gatare, Chief Executive Officer, Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB), Rwanda
• Jean de Dieu Mutunzi, Executive Chairman, Aldango Ltd (Gold Refinery),      Rwanda
• Dr Andu Ezbon Adde, Undersecretary, Ministry of Mining, Republic of South Sudan
• Simon Tuma Waku, President, Chamber of Mines, DRC
• Gety Mpanu Mpanu, Deputy Chief of Staff, The Head of State in charge of Infrastructure, Mineral Resources, Hydrocarbons, Energy and PT-NTIC, Presidency, Democratic Republic of Congo
• Amb. Ambeyi Ligabo, Director: Democracy and Good Governance Programme, International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), Rwanda

Industry support
The industry has responded with enthusiasm to this new regional mining forum with Aldango Gold Refinery already confirmed as diamond sponsor. Participating industry operators will include Montero, Power Resources Group, Walkabout Resources and LuNa Smelter who along with BARRON, are also gold sponsors. Flowserve are silver sponsors while CMD Gears-Ferry Capitain, Minelab, Spectrometer Technology, Walkabout Resources have partnered with East & Central Africa Mining Forum as bronze sponsors.

East & Central Africa Mining Forum is organised by Spintelligent, a multi-award-winning Cape Town-based exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the infrastructure, energy and mining sectors.

East & Central Africa Mining Forum dates and location:
Strategic conference and exhibition: 28-29 October 2019
Venue: Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda

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