A Turning Point for Africa’s Mining Future – The Mail & Guardian

The Mining Indaba 2025 conference, held in Cape Town from 9-12 February, marked a defining moment in the evolution of Africa’s mining industry, with a renewed focus on sustainability, social responsibility, and strategic global partnerships. For the first time in its history, the conference prioritized the voices of indigenous peoples and local communities in what is an acknowledgment of their indispensable role in shaping the sector’s future. Their active participation in key sessions provided valuable perspectives on equitable mining practices and showed the industry’s growing commitment to inclusivity and responsible resource management.

This year’s event tackled some of the most pressing issues facing the mining sector, particularly the geopolitical choices that mineral-rich African nations must navigate. With the world’s appetite for essential minerals, especially copper and cobalt, continuing to surge amid the global energy transition, Africa faces a range of critical decisions concerning how to ensure mineral production without neglecting the local societies in the mining areas. These considerations will shape the future of the industry as the continent positions itself as a key player in the global supply chain.

A key highlight of the conference was the prominent role played by China’s CMOC, the world’s largest cobalt producer. CMOC’s leadership, including head of its subsidiary IXM Kenny Ives, articulated a vision for Africa’s mining sector that balances opportunity with responsibility. Ives underscored the untapped potential within the continent, emphasizing, “There remains so much potential in Africa where opportunities are either untapped or under-tapped.”

CMOC executives stressed that the world is at a defining moment, as industries transition from a fossil-fuel-based economy to one driven by critical minerals essential for electrification and decarbonization. “We are at a very critical juncture where the world is transitioning from a fossil-fuelled-based reality to a new energy materials-enabled reality where we electrify our energy and transport systems. It’s revolutionary,” Kenny Ives stated at the Cape Town conference.

With the demand for battery metals surging, there is a clear consensus for the need to ensure that mining operations remain both environmentally and socially sustainable. Many companies operating in Africa, including Rio Tinto, CMOC and others, have been making efforts to position themselves as leaders in responsible mining by highlighting their commitment to top-tier ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance. According to Ives, CMOC’s approach is to ‘fixate on best-in-class ESG performance whilst managing the logistics and marketing proactively”, all the while maximising “the value of our products through the cycle, benefiting all stakeholders.”

Indeed, CMOC’s sustainability efforts have garnered significant recognition in recent years. CMOC was awarded an AA rating by Morgan Stanley Capital International, while CMOC subsidiary IXM has been awarded the ECOVADIS gold certificate for sustainability work. The emphasis on sustainability is further reflected in CMOC’s carbon footprint, which is significantly lower than industry averages, with Ives emphasising that CMOC’s “carbon intensity is 91% below the industry average, and our copper, cobalt, and niobium products can all truly be considered ‘GREEN.’”

Beyond environmental considerations, the conference underscored the broader social responsibilities of miners operating across Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where many large miners operate some of the most important global mining projects.

“CMOC is the largest taxpayer in the DRC. In 2024, CMOC paid $1.715 billion in taxes and related payments to the Public Treasury and other public administration services,” stated Ives, emphasising that the company adheres to strict legal and moral principles.  The company’s contributions extend beyond financial obligations, with a substantial investment in community development initiatives, and “CMOC continues to make significant investments in community development, funding a total of $186 million in community projects in the DRC since 2017.”

These commitments illustrate a model of mining that prioritizes long-term community benefits while meeting the world’s increasing demand for essential minerals. As the industry moves forward, CMOC’s leadership stressed that sustainable mining practices are not just an ethical imperative but a strategic necessity, indispensable for the global green transition to be achieved, and “mining needs to be done responsibly, sustainably, and with a view towards making communities thrive.”

The overarching theme of the conference was the need to prepare Africa’s mining sector for the future, ensuring that it remains competitive, responsible, and aligned with global sustainability goals. Minding companies and the communities in which they operate are logically the key players in this. The need to “future-proof African mining is about ensuring we are ready to meet global demand while maintaining high standards of sustainability and governance”, Ives stated, making it clear that the world’s ambitions are going nowhere without the truly equitable involvement of Africa.