The CEO of the Council for Geoscience, Mosa Mabuza moderated an SA – EU 2nd edition of the Investment Seminar at the investing in Africa Mining Indaba.
The session’s theme was “facilitating investments to accelerate SA’s ambition to develop Critical Raw Minerals Value Chain”.
The Deputy Minister of The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition South Africa, Zuko Godlimpi, spoke about Government’s progress on trade and investment with the EU. He highlighted the importance of exploration & beneficiation of minerals in host countries.
Henrik Hololei, Hors Classe Adviser, Director General for International Partnerships of the European Commission, said the partnership between SA and the EU creates jobs and a focus on sustainable development.
The EU’s approach is to create value for locals as well as create jobs. He spoke about the significance of investing in geological surveys to catalyze exploration and create a sustainable value chain.
Thabo Kekana, the Deputy Director General (DDG) for Program and Projects of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, said Africa remains untapped for exploration of critical minerals.
He also said South Africa has technological capability and infrastructure to support exploration but there are students that remain unemployed.
SA is also striving for a balanced transition from a high energy economy to a low energy economy and is keen to forge collaborations with the EU.
Mr Petri Peltonen, Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment in Finland, encouraged the country to invest in exploration in order to attract investment. There is a need to have the best geological mapping coverage.
Mr Allard Castelein, Special Representative for the Raw Materials Strategy, Minister of Economic Affairs in the Netherlands, said the African Continent doesn’t need to convince anyone of the availability of mineral resources. However, there should be a deliberate approach to include Public-Private-Partnerships in the mining value chain.
Picture: Council for Geoscience