dss⁺ was one of the associate sponsors at this year’s Mining Indaba, where the company presented a range of expert insights throughout the event. We speak to Helder Santos, Mining and Metals Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, about this exciting occasion and the company’s viewpoint on current industry trends.
As the leading provider of operations management consulting services with the purpose of saving lives and creating a sustainable future, dss+ enables businesses to build organisational and human capabilities, manage risk, improve operations, achieve sustainability goals and operate more responsibly.
By leveraging its deep industry and management expertise and diverse team, dss+ consultants are on the ground and in the boardroom helping clients work safer, smarter and with purpose.
What does it mean for the company to be one of the associate sponsors of the Mining Indaba event?
Helder Santos, Mining and Metals Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (HS): As a company, we have long been involved with investing in African Mining Indaba. We believe that the event is not only a rare opportunity for the mining industry, government and private sector to come together to share ideas, but also a way to expedite progress in the sector. This is needed more than ever at the moment as the sector faces global challenges of volatility, economic uncertainty and climate change. Given our global footprint in the mining industry, we believe that sharing our views and lessons learned from the challenges companies are facing in Africa, as well as best practices across the world, will benefit the industry as a whole.
What are you expecting from this exciting opportunity and how valuable could it be for the business?
HS: For us, the Mining Indaba is always about connecting with our network and industry professionals in a space that allows us to take a step back from daily operational tasks, learn from each other, and envision future solutions. At this year’s event, we focused on a number of important discussions about the future of resilient, sustainable mining, and what it might look like as the sector prepares to address the demand for more metals and minerals to meet the needs of the energy transition.
Is it rewarding to be involved in delivering enhanced operational practices to so many people across different workplaces?
HS: As a business, we exist to save lives and create a more sustainable future, so helping mining and metals organisations enhance their operations to enable both safer working environments and increased efficiency is at the heart of what we do. We are increasingly finding that an integrated risk management approach focusing on operational risks, efficiency and sustainability is the best way to help operations lay the groundwork for future prosperity, and a critical aspect to ensure the move of the industry into sustainable mining.
What vital insights will the company be delivering at the Mining Indaba?
HS: As a team, we took part in four important discussions that linked to how mining operations can prepare themselves to be resilient whilst still addressing essential issues of employee and community safety, and environmental sustainability. The sessions that our team participated in include:
- From intent to impact – how to activate the journey towards sustainable mining of the future
- Security of supply – threat or opportunity in Africa’s metals and minerals supercycle context?
- Mining and the circular economy
- Tailings, safety and mining’s ‘zero harm’ approach: are people and communities being prioritised and what frameworks are in place to assure transparency?
How do you assess the future of mining in Africa?
HS: We believe that there is a great opportunity for the future of mining in Africa – there will be significant demand for minerals and metals that not only meet growing energy transition needs but also increased imperative to extract these resources in a sustainable and ethical way. Within these new ways of operating, there are significant opportunities to reduce costs and increase income streams, through energy efficiency and utilising by-products through circular economy programmes, by reducing waste in any form or shape across the full value chain, for example. We believe that if companies lay the foundations now for safe, efficient and sustainable operations, they can leverage these opportunities well into the future.
