JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Cross-Border Mining Services Africa Indaba, which aims to bring senior-level professionals from mining companies, as well as mining contractors; engineering, procurement and construction management companies; logistics companies; third- and fourth-party logistics providers; and finance and legal institutions together to find solutions for challenges in the African mining industry, will be held for the first time from March 26 to 28.

The event is being organised by Mining Services 4 Africa in collaboration with Resources 4 Africa, which also produces the yearly Junior and Joburg Indabas.

A variety of topics will be discussed during the two-day conference, including an analysis of the pros and cons of the different types of supply chain, strategies for alleviating constraints in cross-border supply chains, how to fund the movement of goods in and around Africa, the changing role of the procurement manager, and the power of responsible procurement and conflict-free minerals, to name a few.

Nedbank mining finance, corporate and investment banking head Paul Miller notes that, as mining spreads its footprint across Africa – from its early days in Johannesburg – infrastructure remains poor or non-existent on the continent while business conditions are opaque and complex. “Innovative, flexible approaches to procurement and supply chain design and execution are therefore required, both of which need to be unique and responsive to their varying environment,” he highlighted.

In addition to the main conference, there will be a one-day pre-event workshop dedicated to assisting procurement and supply chain professionals in managing the legal and tax challenges faced when exporting goods in and around Africa.

Speakers confirmed to date include senior representatives from Debswana, Mopani Copper Mines, Alphamin Resources, Nacala Corridor, Montero Mining, SENET, DRA, Masimong Group, Metso South Africa, Standard Bank, Standard Chartered, Nedbank, DSV, Afrilog, PwC and ProEthics.

The event is being supported by the South African Association of Freight Forwarders and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.