It’s refreshing to wake up at 3:00 AM to catch a plane from OR Tambo International Airport! Although normal in a consultant’s life, this Monday morning on 9 May 2022 was to attend the Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town and the much anticipated four-day in-person event was now starting.

Image: View from the airplane prior to landing at Cape Town International Airport

On day 1 the air was electric with the excitement and prospect of deal-making, match-making, and a news-worthy line-up of speakers. But first…queuing at the registration desk to enter the Indaba. Once in, and with access badge and event carry bag in hand, we now start walking the halls of the large and open Cape Town International Conference Centre (CTICC) and low-and-behold bump into old and new industry friends, colleagues, and clients.

This was the first in-person Mining Indaba since the worldwide pandemic and was well-attended by industry leaders, investors, and global mining industry government representatives and Heads of State. Approximately 6,500 people registered and attended the event, which is somewhat less than the pre-COVID attendance of 8,000 people however still made for the feeling of a beehive inside the venue.

The exhibitors did not hold back in displaying their interesting technology, like “Spot” the robot-dog, the small toy replica of the newly launched Anglo American Hydrogen Truck, and the 4-D cinematic experience complete with water sprays and heated air to transport viewers on the Anglo sustainability journey.

On Day 2, we woke up in a quaint AirBnB to the beautiful view of the Cape Town soccer stadium before heading to the CTICC. This time we wasted no time with queues, but there was a nice welcome with a complimentary cappuccino and the daily newsletter. This was also the day that President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his speech at the Mining Indaba.

There were a lot of panel discussions and talks, but unfortunately, you cannot attend all of them at once. The ones that did pique our interest over the course of the week were:

• Gold Commodity Focus Panel
• Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry Insight
• Copper, Cobalt, Nickel, Tin, Rare Earths: Battery Metals & their Role in the Energy Transition Panel 
• Challenges and Opportunities for Bulk Commodities in the African Mining Sector
• The 4IR, ESG, and Global Pandemic is here Panel
• Global Forces and the War for the Future Panel
• Engineering the Future of Mining: Digital Revolutions of Green Technology
• The Future of Mining and the Skills Needed to Get Us There

Image: Copper, Cobalt, Nickel, Tin, Rare Earths: Battery Metals & their Role in the Energy Transition Panel

Over the course of the rest of the week, we met up with colleagues and friends, shared a lunch table with Ghanaian officials, and had the off-chance run-in with clients and young and upcoming professionals.

Driving off to the airport at the end of the event, we could not help but think that the Investing in African Mining Indaba is a staple event in the mining industry.

The Mining Indaba delivered beyond expectation, delivering the promise of returning next year and keeping in touch with our new-made friends.