With the Mining Indaba taking place in Cape Town from 5 to 8 February, it’s a great opportunity for firms to catch up face to face with their clients, engage with potential financiers, meet potential mining industry entrants, motivate for investment, and acquaint themselves with the trends across Africa relative to mining and the allied industries say Augustine Hamwela and Layeni Phiri, partners of August Hill & Associates.
“We will bring our experience to bear in advising informally on what the landscape currently looks like in Zambia,” Augustine explained, “and we hope to get a sense of what our government’s agenda is for mining in Zambia in the short- to medium term through the messaging it will be giving to current and potential investors in the mining space in Zambia.”
For now Augustine says the key trends they see in the African mining sector relate to minimising the export of raw materials in favour of creating industries which process minerals into finished or near finished consumer goods in their country of origin. “This would bring the true dividends of mining to the local populace in Africa,” he noted.
Layeni says August Hill intends to take full benefit of the networking opportunities at the Mining Indaba to speak about Zambia’s infinite potential and to highlight the country’s range of professionals across the finance and legal sectors who will be able to support investors looking to take a foray into the country.
“We are firm believers in spreading our wings as wide as they can go,” Layeni shared, “and an international symposium of the nature of the Mining Indaba can only grow our networks and reach.”
Augustine reiterated the importance of the Mining Indaba as a means of keeping on top of the issues in the African mining sector to ensure their legal and advisory services are up to the level their clients require. “As we are poised to offer advice to clients who are usually regional and global, it is imperative that we have our finger on the pulse of trends across Africa and the world. There is no better opportunity to learn and experience what is happening out there than the Indaba,” he said.
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