Chamber of Mines annual indaba a must-attend event
the Chamber of mines of Zimbabwe (Comz) conference, which this year runs under the theme “mining for economic transformation: Creating growth enablers for the mining industry”, has grown to become one of the premier gatherings in the nation.
it will be held in victoria Falls from may 30 to June 2.
due to its significance, the annual mining conference has received overwhelming support over the years and continues to attract key stakeholders, including president emmerson mnangagwa, government ministers and senior executives of mining houses, senior executives of suppliers for the industry, investors, financiers, labour and communities.
The participation of government ministers has allowed the chamber to use the platform to engage government on pertinent matters affecting the mining industry.
The annual mining conference has also enhanced the chamber brand visibility, which has assisted in building respect and trust among key stakeholders. The conference also provides an opportunity for suppliers and mining companies to exhibit and showcase their products.
in the morning on Wednesday, the conference will kick-start with a lithium symposium running under the theme unleashing the growth potential of the Battery minerals value Chain.
several speakers drawn from within the country and across the continent will present on various topics.
There will be discussion on Zimbabwe lithium industry project overview. it will be done by companies such as Bikita minerals, Zulu lithium, sabi star, arcadia mine, Zimbabwe lithium (Kamativi), and Chamber of Chinese enterprises in Zimbabwe.
some of the topics to be discussed include prospects for a regional battery minerals value chain; developing battery minerals value chain — global experiences and best practice; financing solutions for the battery minerals value chain; strengthening governance in the batteries minerals value chain and emerging global trends on responsible sourcing of critical minerals; policy insights from lithium situational report; minerals security partnership; and european union Critical raw minerals act.
in the afternoon, there will be an address by the Chamber of mines president Collen Chibafa, as well as remarks by the minister of mines and mining development, Winston Chitando.
after that, there will be a discussion looking at mining industry growth imperatives. The topic will look at consolidating growth drivers for the mining industry — international experiences.
Again, three panel discussions focusing on topics: addressing challenges undermining the potential growth of mineral sub sectors; energy solutions for the mining industry; and financing solutions for the mining industry will be held.
There will also be discussion on topics, such as crafting power supply solutions for the mining industry, crafting financing solutions for the mining industry (overview of the power supply situation and solutions for the mining industry); and crafting financing solutions for the mining industry (mobilising capital for the mining industry — international experiences).
on Thursday, president emmerson mnangagwa is expected to officially open the annual conference.
Before officially opening the conference, there will be presentations on the future of fossil fuels: opportunities and challenges for Zimbabwe’s fossil fuels industry in the context of energy transition to greener technologies; foreign exchange and monetary solutions for the mining industry; as well as foreign exchange and monetary solutions for the mining industry.
other notable speakers include Chitando; John mangudya (reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor); July ndlovu (mining expert); John sisay (international mining expert); chief executive officers of banking institutions including stanbic, nedbank, ecobank, ZB Bank, old mutual, CBZ, mining industry association of southern africa; and representatives from hatch (international technology company).