How to transform mines into a development industry
“Instead of calling us the extractive industry I would like us to become known as the development industry” said AngloGold Ashanti CEO Mark Cutifani, in last week’s Mining for Change conference.
Most people don’t appreciate the effort make by mining producers. Yet, the global mining industry is the main sectors that drives in more than 45% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP), either on a direct basis or through the use of products that facilities other products.
In fact, mining is becoming one of the most important industrial activities in the world today. It has the smallest environment impact across the globe as it consume less than 1% of the world’s water and emits less than 3% of the world’s carbon gases, which does not led to pollution. Most importantly, creates employment opportunities for the local farmers too.
With the new development of Mongbwalu gold mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cutifani set a vision to benefit 80% of the people in the community. They are making initiatives in placing transportation, commercial and energy infrastructure that will not only create employment opportunities but also enable local farmers in producing more, which will allows them to transport it to the market. Through this proposal, he hoped that people will recognize the word ‘mining’ as development, jobs and social infrastructure.
Further, the frequent highlights on the now-returned Chamber of Mines of South Africa senior executive Roger Baxter, addressed the point that the modern world would not be well-equipped with high-technologies like smart phones and wind turbines without mined minerals. Therefore, minerals are importance to our lives and the greatest demand globally are coal, copper and iron-core.
Interested to know more about the prospects of the mining industry? Join us at AsiaMiningCongress 2013 and gain first hand insight from senior level executives and leaders on the growth and development of mining industry. Visit www.terrapinn.com/asiamining for more details.
