Author Archives: Marlaine Andersen

 

 

Africa is a mineral-rich continent with untapped value to be unlocked. Mining and metals remains one of the best performing sectors despite economic uncertainty – it is one of the industries that continues to attract investment and drive economic growth in most Africa countries – Wickus Botha, Mining & Metals leader

 

The African Continent is richly endowed with mineral reserves and ranks first or second in quantity of world reserves of bauxite, cobalt industrial diamond phosphate rock, vermiculite and zirconium. Gold mining is Africa’s main mining resource.

 

According to Wikipedia : “As of 2005”, strategic minerals and key producers on the African continent were:

Diamonds : 46% of the world, divided as Botswana 35%; Congo (Kinshasa) 34%; South Africa 17%; Angola, 8%.
Gold : 21% of the world, divided as South Africa 56%; Ghana, 13%; Tanzania, 10%; and Mali, 8%.
Uranium : 16% of the world, divided as Namibia 46%; Niger 44%; South Africa less than 10%.
Bauxite : (used for aluminium): 9% of the world, divided as Guinea 95%; Ghana 5%.
Steel : 2% of the world, divided as South Africa 54%; Egypt 32%; Libya 7%; Algeria 6%.
Aluminium : 5% of the world, divided as South Africa 48%; Mozambique 32%; Egypt 14%.
Copper (mine/refined) : 5% of the world, divided as Zambia 65%/77%; South Africa 15%/19%; Congo (Kinshasa) 13%/0%; Egypt 0%/3%.
Platinum/Palladium : 62% of the world, divided as South Africa 97%/96%.

 

Mining projects are actually very interesting – so much more than just “a hole in the ground”. Yes, there are the open-pit mines and the underground mines, obviously depending on what mineral/precious metal they are trying to extract. These new mines are often located in very remote places which means there is no infrastructure and this very often has to be constructed by the Mining Companies themselves in order to gain access to the mine. New roads are needed, railway lines need to be upgraded and in some cases new lines need to be built in order to transport the product to the nearest port for distribution to overseas markets for further fabrication. Port facilities also need to be upgraded, expanded and improved to allow for the storage of the product, prior to shipping.

 

So, as a result of new mines being built, infrastructure in the various countries is upgraded and improved. In addition to transport, adequate water and a regular electricity supply is needed to run the mines and more often than not, new electricity lines, power stations and substations are constructed to power the mine. Pipelines to carry water to the mine and new tailings dams to store water are also constructed. Mines that are located in remote locations far from towns and cities, also provide accommodation for their workers and families. Mining companies spend a lot of money on upliftment projects for the surrounding communities in the form of schools, clinics etc.

 

In Private Projects I research and follow Greenfield and Brownfield mining projects throughout Africa, including SADC and South Africa and there are currently 345 active mining projects on our database ………………… Just sayin’!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“In 2011 over 15 African countries registered growth rates exceeding 5% despite the world economic recession” (Ernst & Young)

“More than 800 infrastructure projects have been identified in Africa in 2012” – (Ernst & Young)

According to this information, these are exciting times for new developments/construction opportunities in Africa.

“New US$32 investment for Nairobi’s Garden City Development” (African Business Review)

Headlines like this are exactly what I am looking for – possible new project leads for our subscribers. The search is on to turn these headlines into project leads that our subscribers can benefit from.
Where do I start, do I consult my crystal ball – I wish! No, it’s called research and it generally starts with the newspaper or article headline and from there my first stop is Google. If the world is your oyster, then Google is the pearl! It is possible to source anything, you just have to know where and how to look.

I start researching the project – where in Africa it is (Country, City, GPS co-ordinates), who is the private developer or client, have any professionals like architect, quantity surveyor and engineers been appointed, have all approvals such as town planning and environmental authorisation, been received (although some projects in Africa have been known to get Environmental Authorisation after the project is completed!), will the proposed project be going out to invited tender or open tender? These are some of the questions that I need answers to, to enable me to publish the project on our website.

The most important, and perhaps the most difficult, is sourcing the correct contact details for the people working on the project. Sourcing contact information in Africa presents all sorts of challenges, telephonic communication, can be very difficult, there are some countries, cities and even people in Africa who do not speak English as a first, second or even a language at all and sign language is not an option! Telephones in some government departments ring unanswered during working hours for what seems like days on end. Websites of African companies are generally not as up-to-date as the rest of the world and telephone numbers listed sometimes date back to early 2000 and generally no longer work. Emailing is generally the preferred and most reliable method of communication.

Back to Google, I wade through websites, peruse periodicals, industry-related magazines, company presentations, local newspapers, town planning notices, EIA notices, Government Gazettes, tender notices, reports, make phone calls, send emails, whatever it takes to source the information needed. Finally, once I have all the information required, the project is ready to be published. But it doesn’t end there, once published, the projects are followed and updated through the various stages, procedural right through to completion, but that’s another blog, for another time …… watch this space!

There are currently 691 projects in Africa – projects including dams (Metolong dam, Lesotho), roads (Trans-Sahara Highway Project), railways, (Trans-Kalahari railway), mega-cities like Tatu City in Kenya and Eko Atlantic in Nigeria, hotels (Crowne Plaza Hotel, Ethiopia), office blocks (Pinnacle Projects ,New Office Block, Kenya) and even mining projects (Simandou iron-ore project, Guinea) to name but a few, listed on our database and this list grows daily as more new projects get added.

 

So, If you are looking to expand your business into Africa, or you are looking for project leads in Africa and you are Not subscribed to Leads 2 Business – you have to ask yourself – Why?

Marlaine Andersen – Dedicated and Tireless Researcher