02 May 2024

Botswana’s largest mining publication, The Projects Magazine, will host its inaugural Future of Mining Summit, June 12 to 13, in Gaborone.

The summit will be delivered under the theme: Building Competitive Global Players in the Face of Evolving Industry Challenges, with focus on bridging digital divide, presenting latest trends and technological advancement in the mining sector.

Briefing the media April 30, on the scheduled summit, The Future of Mining Summit, project manager, Mr Rearabilwe Ramaphane, said topical issues to be discussed included defining the future of Botswana mining industry in the midst of global market trends and evolving industry challenges.

Mr Ramaphane said the summit would bring together over 400 delegates from the mining industry comprising local and international participants.

He said there would be about 70 exhibitors where investors, enterprises, researchers, academia, and multinational companies would showcase new products and services.Exhibitors will display the latest advances in manufacturing technology and innovation, particularly in relevance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Mr Ramaphane said.

Alongside the Minister of Energy and Minerals, Mr Lefoko Moagi, who will deliver the keynote address and participate on fireside conversation on Reset Agenda, mindset change and value chain development in the mining industry, there would be 50 speakers to deliberate on all issues correlated to mining, he said.

Through the event, Mr Ramaphane said, participants should brace themselves to witness participation of various government departments, quasi-government institutions, mining companies and the financial sector.

Among the focus areas, he said, the summit would address issues encompassing renewable energy, future skills, ESG, parallel industries in mining communities, private public partnerships and access to finance.

Regarding the long-term goals of The Future of Mining Summit, Mr Ramaphane said, the event would be a platform for raising capital and investment in the mining industry. He  said it would stand as a fountain of talent development and building of high performance professionals for tackling dynamic challenges of the mining industry.

He said the event would create a platform for witnessing technological advancements, cutting edge and innovative interventions in the mining space.

Mr Ramaphane said the summit would build a platform for continued improvement of ethical standards and best practices in protecting the natural world, and respect for human rights, including safety of employees. ENDS