VBKOM was invited by the DTI to represent South African mining intensive companies at the 15^th DRC Mining Week trade show.  The DRC Mining Week was hosted at the Pullman Lubumbashi Grand Karavia Hotel in Lubumbashi, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

George Olivier (Director) and Ivan Jacobs (Business Development Consultant) were the proud representatives of VBKOM at the DTI sponsored stall.

The decision to exhibit at this specific trade show was made due to the DRC being rich with mineral endowments (Copper, Cobalt, Gold, Diamonds, Tin, Zinc and others). 

Working towards Renewable Energy

Based on the renewable energy drive towards battery minerals (for both LCO and NMC battery technologies) and our track record that we hold in the DRC, we decided that it was the right time to exhibit at this event. 

The DRC is the 4^th largest producer of copper in the world and the biggest producer of cobalt.  The DRC produces approximately 65% of the world’s cobalt and more than 10x the amount of cobalt in comparison to Russia, who is the 2^nd largest producer. 

A lot of the discussions revolved around the sustainable supply of the more 3.5 million tonnes of economically viable cobalt reserves from the DRC to the rest of the world.   

We managed to engage with past and existing clients and projects who focused on the supply of cobalt and copper including ERG, KCC, Lupoto, Ivanhoe and Ruashi. 

The team from Spintelligent, in cooperation with the other event organisers, ensured that the expo was executed very well.  From the stands that were set-up, to the flow of visitors, the event was an overwhelming success.  More than 200 mining and exploration companies and exhibitors were present at this year’s expo, including 20 mining operators with more than 4900 visitors to the exhibition and conference.

VBKOM’s service offering

A large majority of the visitors were French speaking, and VBKOM was assigned a translator, Hope Mwangwa, that ensured that every individual that was met at our stall, was able to understand the VBKOM offerings, capabilities and experience. 

These included geology, geotechnical, mining, metallurgy, survey, industrial engineering, simulation, project management, financial modelling, risk management and operational readiness.

VBKOM – Your Engineering Consultants in Africa

In VBKOM’s opinion, it is worthwhile for South African companies to attend these exhibitions.  We would like to thank the Department of Trade and Industry (SA) for all the assistance in facilitating trade between our countries. 

South Africa has a very long relationship with the DRC when it comes to mining and is also the top mining importer into the DRC, accounting for 21.4% of imports into this sector. 

The event was well attended and was well represented by various other nationalities and countries, with national pavilions from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Germany, the UK and France.  The recent investment in new and expansion mining projects in the DRC makes this a mining destination of note.