Africa Energy

The development of key mining value chains, known as beneficiation, is a major objective for the government. While mining operators support the concept in theory, the practical application has proven more difficult and made the related policies in the pending Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) amendment and the Department...

The country boasts an estimated $2.5trn worth of proven mineral reserves, while the mineral resources sector contributes 8% to South Africa’s GDP directly, 17% indirectly and is the country’s second-largest employer with an estimated 14% of total employment.

Insufficient generation capacity in South Africa led to 99 days of load shedding between January and August 2015, with the impact on the country’s energy-intensive mining industry of particular concern.

The country has been attempting for several years to combat the problem of illegal mining, in which foreigners join or compete with indigenous, small-scale miners in an untaxed activity that is meant to be the preserve of Ghanaians. An update to the legislation covering the mining sector, if approved, will provide law enforcement agencies with...

The role of galamsey, or artisanal, small-scale miners, in Ghana has become increasingly important. This group is currently responsible for all diamond production and its share of gold production has more than doubled since 2008, as the rise in gold prices has attracted more people to try their hand at mining. These operators are currently not...

The mining sector in Ghana, in particular gold mining, is one of Africa’s oldest, but growth has been hampered in recent years by external factors such as lower metal prices and internal ones like the rising cost of electricity and illegal mining. These difficulties have combined to boost costs and lower profit margins in the sector, and legal...