08h00

Registration 

08h45 - 09h00   

Chairman's Welcome 

Bernard Swanepoel

09h00 - 10h00

Opening Keynote Session
Why Africa is important to the future of mining

Fireside Chat with Industry Legend Robert Friedland

Bernard Swanepoel in conversation with
Robert Friedland, Founder, Executive Director and Co-Chairman, Ivanhoe Mines

10h00 - 10h30  

Keynote Address: The U.K. Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy

Nusrat Ghani MP
Minister of State for the Department of Business & Trade and
Minister of State for the Investment Security Unit
United Kingdom

Introduction by Simon Thompson, Senior Adviser, Rothschild & Co London and former Chairman, Rio Tinto

Audience Q&A led by Bernard Swanepoel

10h30 - 10h50     

Keynote Address: What is the strategy of the U.S Government?

Scott E. Woodard, Acting Director, Office of Energy Transformation (ETR), Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR), U.S. Department of State

10h50 - 11h00

Audience Q&A

11h00 - 11h30

Morning Refreshments

11h30 - 12h30

Session One, Panel Discussion
How the world’s governments are incentivising future minerals and metals
What are world government strategies around critical minerals and metals?
What are governments in North America, EU, China, UK doing with policy and legislation to incentivise the production of clean energy and how will this benefit Africa?
What will the actual impact of the US’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) be and how does it compare with current EU green subsidies?
How is the rest of the world catching up with China?
How are governments collaborating with each other?
How to make sense of the supply chains in critical minerals – are they vulnerable or not?
How are governments planning to intervene or collaborate with African countries to establish trading relationships and secure resilient supply chains?

Chair: Christopher Vandome, Senior Research Fellow, Africa Programme, Chatham House

Peter Leon, Partner and Global Africa Chair, Herbert Smith Freehills
Prof Paul Ekins OBE, Professor of Resources and Environmental Policy, UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, University of London
Ludivine Wouters, Managing Partner, Latitude Five
Lawrence Dechambenoit, Global Head of External Affairs, Rio Tinto

 

12h30 - 13h00

Keynote Address: How is investing in critical minerals and metals “different”?

Simon Thompson, Senior Adviser, Rothschild & Co London and former Chairman, Rio Tinto

13h00 - 14h00

Lunch Break

14h00 - 14h15

Session Two
What does the energy transition and a growing global population mean for mining and mined products?
Market fundamentals underpinning the industry’s future
Global supply/demand dynamics / commodity price cycle
Source of future supply; Africa’s crucial role
How mining is central to human progress

Paul Gait, Chief Economist, Anglo American 

14h15 - 15h00

Opportunities in Africa to meet global demand for minerals and metals in the energy transition

Chair:  Matthew Chamberlain, CEO, The London Metal Exchange

Neal Froneman, CEO, Sibanye-Stillwater
Thierno Diallo, Head of Business Development, Africa, Rio Tinto

15h00 - 15h30

Afternoon Refreshments

 

15h30 - 15h50

Keynote Address: Exploring and mining successfully in Africa for 40 years!

Mark Bristow, President & CEO, Barrick Gold Corporation

 

15h50 - 16h00

Q&A led by Bernard Swanepoel

Session Three
The role of copper in the energy transition and the green economy
The role of African copper in future applications
Why is copper considered a critical metal? Which applications is it used for?
Where will future demand for copper come from?
Which are the copper mining jurisdictions and projects in Africa? What new projects are in the pipeline? Will there be enough supply to keep up with increasing demand?
What are the challenges of mining copper in Africa and how are mining companies dealing with them?
ESG and the criticality of responsible copper – communities, value chain transparency, provenance of supply

Chair:  Sinead Ni Mhuircheartaigh, Managing Director, Energy and Natural Resources Sustainability, Accenture

Shaoyang Shen, Deputy President, Zijin Mining Group
Dr Ndoba Joseph Vibetti, CEO, ZCCM Investment Holdings

Opportunities and challenges in modern mining and processing

Phillip Tobias, CEO, African Rainbow Minerals

09h00 - 09h10   

Opening remarks from the Chair

Bernard Swanepoel

09h10 - 09h45    

Why mining is important to Africa!
Can mining turn the energy transition into an economic transition for Africa? How can responsible mining write a new chapter in Africa's development?

Bernard Swanepoel in conversation with
Rohitesh Dhawan, President and Chief Executive Officer, ICMM

09h45 - 11h00

Session One, Panel Discussion
New sources of funding for resources and mining in Africa
Where is funding for future mining going to come from?
Can London's historic role of funding the global mining industry continue in the era of the energy transition?
Where are competitive sources of funding emerging, and how credible are they?
Has the sharp focus on ESG in the UK market created unsurmountable barriers for miners?
What should the UK government and the LSE be doing to encourage investment in critical minerals supply chains, including processing and innovative mining technology start-ups?
Where are the significant sources of funds or mining skills on the ground in African countries going to manifest?
What more could African governments do to make investing in critical metals and minerals more attractive such as tax incentives, less red tape, reducing political risk issues/perceptions?
What innovative financing models are being developed that could help fund the critical minerals space?

Chair: Dr Fiona Perrott-Humphrey, Senior Adviser to Rothschild & Co Mining Team, London

U.S. Govt backed critical minerals investment company

Brian Menell, Chairman & CEO, TechMet Limited


Followed by a panel discussion:

Tom Attenborough, Head of International Business Development, Primary Markets, London Stock Exchange
George Cheveley, Portfolio Manager, Ninety One
Paul Smith, Chairman, Trident Royalties and Partner, Voltaire Minerals
Andrew Trahar, Co-Founder, Vision Blue Resources

11h00 - 11h30

Morning Refreshments

11h30 - 13h00

Session Two
How will gold continue to be relevant in the future?
Gold has been relevant for 3000 years! What about the next 30?
Can gold be considered critical given its ‘safe haven’ status?
For which applications is gold used (other than investment) and how is demand predicted to evolve in the short to longer term?
How is the price of gold expected to change and what factors could influence its movement?
What opportunities are there for African gold producers to expand their market share?

Chair: John Reade, Market Strategist, Europe & Asia, World Gold Council

Peter Steenkamp, CEO, Harmony Gold Mining Company
Martino De Ciccio, Deputy CFO & Head of Investor Relations, Endeavour Mining
Martin Horgan, CEO, Centamin
Segun Lawson, CEO and Director, Thor Explorations

13h00 - 14h00

Lunch Break

14h00 - 15h00

Session Three
The Energy Transition: Winners and losers?

Chair: Roger Baxter, CEO, The Minerals Council South Africa

Coal: winner or loser?
What is the role of coal in meeting the world’s energy needs in the short term?
How does coal fit into the big picture?
What is its role during the transition to a low-carbon economy?
Will supply deficits of key metals and minerals delay this transition?
What is the carbon footprint of these metals and minerals? How can mining companies ensure that they are mined without contributing to CO2 emissions?

Vuslat Bayoglu, Managing Director, Menar

Uranium: winner or loser?

Daniel Major, CEO, GoviEx Uranium

Followed by a panel discussion

Professor Imraan Valodia, Pro Vice-Chancellor: Climate, Sustainability and Inequality, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

15h00 - 15h30

Afternoon Refreshments 

15h30 - 16h00

Session Four
The science behind batteries and battery formulations of the future – what are the drivers?
What is driving battery technologies, what are boundary conditions? Focus on batteries for electromobility
Which are the major battery chemistries and which metals do they use? Focus on lithium-ion cathode active materials for electromobility (layered oxides, olivines, spinels, disordered rocksalts, …)
Latest developments in emerging battery chemistries – sodium ion, solid state, metal sulphur, metal air etc.
Are these serious competitors to the more established batteries and what are the implications for the metals involved?
What further innovations in battery technologies can we expect in the near future?
Battery Energy Storage Systems: is the market driving demand for (certain) critical minerals and metals?

Andreas Fischer, Vice President, Global Innovation Scouting Battery Materials, BASF

The little understood role of Manganese: Why is manganese so critical now and for the future?
Why is manganese such an important metal? Which applications is it used for?
Where is manganese mined and who are the major mining companies in this space?
What are mining companies’ plans to increase production given the anticipated increase in demand?
How are current logistical and energy challenges in South Africa impacting the industry and what are the implications for the security of future supply?
Can South Africa and others take advantage of current geopolitical concerns over China and increase its share of the manganese market?

Chair:  Bernard Swanepoel

Anna Fleming, Project Manager, Benchmark Minerals
Louis Nel, CEO, Manganese Metal Company
Brad Rogers, MD & CEO, Jupiter Mines
Jacques van der Bijl, ARM Executive Growth, African Rainbow Minerals

17h10 - 17h15

Closing remarks from the Chair

17h15 - 18h30

End of Conference and Drinks Reception