Africa needs to find unified and creative ways to unlock investments for its mining sector, says Frans Baleni, chair of the Investing in Africa Mining Indaba Advisory Board.In addition, it has to take precedence if the continent is to benefit from the current commodity boom and drive for minerals in the world.“We have endured a global pandemic and are still grappling with the effects. There are global food and labour challenges to contend with, while debt and the energy crisis, climate change and geopolitical conf licts add to the woes. We have every reason to be fearful and feel hopeless, but the reality is that these are all common challenges we are facing and the time to act is now.”Baleni said Africa required vigorous minds willing to tackle challenges head-on if it wanted to bring about change.Highlighting the importance of mining on the continent, he said that unlocking investment was critical for the mining sector.“For this, we need to ensure that the three S’s are in place – stability, security and safety. We need to ensure the sector is stable and predictable as an investment destination. It must offer security to the investment community.”Corporate security, said Baleni, began in the communities where mines were operating through public-private partnerships. “This also allows the industry to help foster stability on the continent for the advancement of inclusive economic growth. We also need governments to focus on security, creating safe environments where projects can thrive. This requires us to minimise conf licts, allowing for the safety of projects.”Baleni said disruptions in supply chains had lowered demand for commodities, which in turn had impacted economic productivity. “We need to therefore, as the African mining sector, deepen our understanding of the medium- to long-term supply chain challenges, identifying the risk points and taking steps to mitigate disruption. We must strengthen our international supply chains to remain competitive.”
