State of Mining in Africa 

We are pleased to launch the second edition of the State of Mining in Africa – In the spotlight report. We have taken a snapshot view of several mining regions across Africa and review the critical elements for a successful mining operation. 

Key points

·         Exploration is down – Exploration spend across Africa is at an estimated $1.7Bn for 2014, however, the DRC continues to gain exploration spend ‘market share’

·         Less than 30 Mining projects across Africa – There are just under 30 new mines planned to come into full production between now and 2018 totalling $18Bn in investment

·         DRC & Zambia copper projects dominate by number at 9 – The DRC is developing more projects and taking much more investment spend going forward

·         It’s all about head grade as “high risk” doesn’t mean “no-go”: The DRC does, however, remain to be perceived as more difficult to do business with an ease of doing business rating of 184 compared to Zambia’s 111

·         Infrastructure build is on track, but still not meeting the demand of mineral projects on the continent.