Chamber of Mines 10th expo to focus on energy transition

The Chamber of Mines of Namibia is set to host its 10th mining conference and expo on 30 and 31 August in Windhoek.

This year’s theme is ‘Namibia’s Role in the Sustainable Supply of Minerals to Support the Global Energy Transition’.

The mining expo will include a mining conference, suppliers’ platform launch, busines- to-business networking for exhibitors, and the annual networking cocktail function.

Speaking at a press conference this week, chief executive Veston Malango, this week said the main objective of the expo is to, engage entrepreneurs and allow different stakeholders to market their skills in the industry.

“This is not an investment conference, hence when we received interest from different parties to partner with us on this expo, we had to turn them down due to their profit motive,” he said.

Attendance of the conference will be free.

Asked about how small-scale miners could benefit from the expo, Malango said it would give them a platform and opportunity to market themselves to the bigger players in the industry and hopefully collaborate with them.

“We currently have 86 confirmed exhibitors, and 140 booths have already been taken. Last year, only 150 booths were taken, and we believe we will exceed this number because exhibitors are still coming on board,” he said.

The main highlights for this year at the expo are oil and gas in light of the country’s ongoing green hydrogen project.

We also plan on launching our own database to capture all mining inputs and services under the Development Bank of Namibia.

Another highlight of this event will be the unveiling of a comprehensive database, capturing all inputs of goods and services consumed within Namibia’s mining sector.

Developed through a collaborative effort between the Development Bank of Namibia, the Ministry of Mines and Energy as project owners, and the Chamber of Mines of Namibia.

Last year, the mining sector spent approximately N$16,8 billion on goods and services from Namibian-registered services, and 74% was spent on local businesses in total procurement.

“We have companies from China, Finland and Germany that will be attending the exhibition. But the purpose is to engage these stakeholders and hopefully reach a point where they can move manufacturing into our country,” Malango said when asked about international participation.

When the issue of outsourcing and resources leaving the country was brought up, he reiterated that Namibia is one of the success stories when it comes to mining.

Last year alone, direct employment in the mining industry increased by 6,9%.

This included 8 392 permanent employees, 742 temporary employees, and 7 014 contractors.

“With approximately 97% of the workforce being Namibian, about N$6,2 billion of the wage bill is circulating within Namibia’s borders, and this creates local spin-offs that support and benefit other sectors of the economy.”

– email: bottomline@namibian.com.na