The 11th Mining Expo and Conference, which concluded yesterday, has garnered remarkable support from exhibitors, breaking all previous records.
This year, 199 exhibitors occupied 317 booths, up from 162 exhibitors and 268 booths at the preceding show in 2023.
This represents a 22.8% increase in exhibitors, and an 18.3% increase in booth utilisation.
During the opening ceremony in Windhoek on Wednesday, Zebra Kasete, president of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia, stated that the event has drawn a significant entourage of Southern African Development Community firms, 22 in all, as well as three overseas companies.
The others are Namibian-based enterprises.
Since its inception, the Mining Expo and Conference has aimed to showcase Namibia’s mining industry to stakeholders and citizens, as well as provide information on the industry and a platform for Namibians and business entities to identify business opportunities in upstream linkages.
While the mining sector is performing admirably, Kasete questioned how natural resources could continue to benefit citizens in ways other than taxes and royalties in a sustainable manner.
He stated that the answer rests in exploration to locate additional ore bodies that could potentially become mines, as well as extending the life of mine for current mines.
“Investments in exploration is what creates a pipeline of future mines. Exploration is fundamental to the sustainability of mining,” he noted.
He added that the government should not consider creating an exploration fund with taxpayer’ money, but rather train Namibians to seek high-risk capital from global financial capital markets.
“The same should be true for the State-owned Epangelo Mining Company,” he suggested.
This might result in huge added value and benefits for citizens, as well as the national economy as a whole.
Epangelo should follow in the footsteps of a government business like Brazil’s Vale to expand the benefits of mining, he added.
“I submit that this approach is low-hanging fruit as compared to calls for government free carry in mines, a policy proposal that is under discussion,” he said.
– Nampa