Mining

A Rokbak RA40 hauler operating in a quarry environment. (Image source: Rokbak)

Since Heavy Machinery Dealership (HMD) introduced the Rokbak brand to Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Benin, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire, the impact the RA30 and RA40 haulers have made has only been matched by the availability of attractive financing solutions

It was in June that Rokbak, an articulated hauler manufacturer and member of Volvo Group, partnered with HMD in order to bring its ADTs to customers in the West African countries. In doing so, customers in the region were able to access the RA40 and RA30 haulers, machines with a robust design and enhanced fuel efficiency that are well-equipped to meet the challenging landscape of West Africa.

The haulers have reportedly been making their mark on various sites in the countries but, according to Rokbak, it is just not the machines that are drawing attention. Through UK Export Finance (UKEF), the Swedish Export Credit Agency (EKN) and a network of PRIs, HMD customers also have access to competitive financing packages. These solutions are designed to reduce the financial burden of fleet expansion with affordable interest rates, extended repayment periods and structured payment plans tailored to meet the demands of West African operations.

“I am very excited to offer ECA and PRI backed financing as it is a massive support to us and our customers,” remarked Matthew Khouri, CEO of HMD. “These financing options demonstrate our commitment to not just selling equipment, but truly partnering with our customers to ensure their success and growth.”

Paul Douglas, managing director of Rokbak, added, “The availability of flexible financing opens up new opportunities for customers across West Africa to access dependable Rokbak machines. Together with HMD’s local expertise, we are empowering businesses to take on major projects with the right tools and resources to drive infrastructure and economic development across the region.

“We see enormous potential for Rokbak in West Africa, where infrastructure development and mining activity are accelerating. Our aim is to be more than a supplier, rather a partner committed to establishing a lasting presence in the region.”

The presidents touring the Lobito Port Terminal in Angola. (Image source: US Embassy & Consulates in China)

On a historic visit to Angola, US President Joe Biden announced a direct loan to upgrade and operate the 1,300 km rail line from Lobito port to the town of Luau on the DRC border

Marking the first time an active US President has visited the African nation, President Biden celebrated the relationship between the two countries which “has been transformed from distance to genuine warmth” and that, today, “is the strongest it’s ever been.” Continuing, he remarked how a core goal of his presidency has been to build a strong partnership with peoples and nations across Africa aimed at “achieving shared goals, bringing to bear the dynamism of America’s private sector and the expertise of our government to support aspirations of African entrepreneurs, experts, leaders both inside and outside of government.”

In the two years since the President pledged to deliver US$55bn in new investments in Africa, Biden said that government agencies and members of his cabinet have delivered US$40bn so far, along with nearly 1,200 new business deals being established between African and American companies.

The USA has reportedly invested US$3bn in Angola during President Biden’s tenancy, who noted, “We see the bonds between our countries across sectors, from clean energy to healthcare to sports.”

He added that he and his Angolan counterpart are, “engaged in a major joint project to close the infrastructure gap for the benefit of Angolans, Africans across the continent, Americans and the world. We’ll all benefit… It’s called the Lobito Corridor. We’re building railroad lines from Angola to the Port of Lobito, in Zambia and the DRC, and, ultimately, all the way to the Atlantic — from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. It’ll be the first trans-continental railroad in Africa and the biggest American rail investment outside of America.”

As such, the US International Development Finance Corporation has announced a direct loan of US$553mn that will support the anchor rail investment of the first phase of the project. This will help the project to expand and protect critical mineral supply chains while increasing rail transport capacity and reducing freight transit times and costs.

This was also joined by further commitments to the country and continent including:

• A commitment to provide up to US$150mn in political risk insurance for new water treatment plants;
• US$40mn loan to help support Africa GreenCo Group’s energy aggregation and trading business;
• US$13mn equity investment to support small and medium-sized businesses in frontier markets;
• US$6mn USAID-supported loan portfolio guaranty for Angolan microcredit company Kixicrédito S.A.;
• US$5mn loan to Community Markets for Conservation Limited in Zambia to expand its food processing business;
• US$3.4mn technical assistance grant to Pensana to help develop a rare earth mine and refining facility in Angola;
• and a US$3.2mn technical assistance grant to Chillerton in support of a green copper mining project in Zambia.

The expansion is also expected to create additional employment opportunities for the local community. (Image source: Multotec)

Multotec, an industry leader in metallurgy and process engineering, has consolidated its injection moulded polyurethane screening media factory sites into a single facility

The company supplies screening media products to mines across southern and West Africa as well as to international markets. In order to fulfil demand and achieve further growth, the company has taken this step that will – according to Rhodes Nelson, senior vice president of product management at Multotec – achieve a 15% reduction in unnecessary activity. The facility is situated on 7,068 sq m property close to Multotec’s current Forge Road main campus in Spartan Kempton Park, will largely operate under a ‘make to order’ environment, and represents a R100mn investment from the company.

Its expansion has also included the addition of two new machines to the current range of PU injection moulding machines that are expected to boost production capacity by 25%. The company has also reported that the new facility is designed with a view to digitising a large part of the workflow in future and has additional space to accommodate more machinery in the future.

“Ultimately, we want to enhance digitalisation within all our factories. This will provide a better understanding of our processes, more accurate reporting, and quicker reporting on where things are within the whole workflow across the business,” remarked Ian Chapman, engineering manager at Multotec.

Discussions at the launch event focused on sourcing gold from artisanal and small-scale gold miners. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

At the Dubai Precious Metals Conference 2024, the Africa Responsible Mineral Sourcing Initiative (ARMSI) was launched by the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) and partners

ARMSI aims to promote transparency, compliance, traceability, accountability, social responsibility, and sustainability within Africa’s minerals and mining sector. Ultimately, it will unite countries, industry, and civil society to help ensure that the continent’s mineral wealth positively contributes to its economic development.

The reveal was attended by a number of stakeholders including a range of African Ministers and officials responsible from Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Uganda; as well as representatives from central banks financial institutions, mining companies, refineries, traders, investors, civil society, and leaders from the global precious metals industry.

“The Africa Responsible Mineral Sourcing Initiative (ARMSI) is about redefining Africa's role in the global precious metals and critical minerals industry by ensuring that artisanal and small-scale miners-often the backbone of mineral production-become central players in responsible, ethical and sustainable mining practices,” remarked Moses Micheal Engadu, secretary-general of AMSG.

“The goal of ARMSI, an initiative of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group is to create a central gateway for responsibly sourced and ethically mined minerals from Africa to the global markets. ARMSI will build Africa's responsible mineral sourcing ecosystem shifting away from raw material exportation towards sustainable value-added industry development to foster local employment, stimulate economic growth and secure a competitive position for African minerals in the global market.”

African mining to support African development

At the launch event, the ARMSI roadmap was unveiled, emphasising the developing of Africa Responsible Mineral Sourcing Guidelines and a comprehensive Manual led by the AMSG. Sub-regional stakeholder engagement forums will be held across the continent as part of the roadmap in order to promote responsible sourcing practices and gather insights.

Ultimately, these initiatives will lay the groundwork for the launch of the Guidelines and Manual in May 2025. Countries, industry players and civil society organisations have been encouraged to contribute to this effort to ensure their voices are heard.

The first secured physical delivery of responsibly sourced gold and silver under the ARMSI will reportedly be completed by February 2025 and will be executed by the Africa Minerals and Metals Exchange (AMME), an initiative of the AMSG that aims to facilitate secure transactions, enhance market transparency, ensure traceability, certify compliance with regulatory standards and facilitate responsible sourcing of precious metals. The delivery will be completed with selected members of ARMSI and AMME.

The launch of the initiative was met with widespread support from attending ministers who reiterated their commitment to fostering responsible and sustainable mining. Fahnseth Buggie Mulbah, Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy of the Republic of Liberia, commented, “Through the Africa Responsible Mineral Sourcing Initiative (ARMSI), we aim to strengthen compliance and transparency across the gold supply chain. I call upon all stakeholders-both locally and internationally-to ensure that gold sourced from artisanal and small-scale miners adheres to the required licenses, permits, and chain of custody systems. Let us work together under ARMSI to champion accountability, sustainability, and ethical practices in the precious metals sector.”