As more African countries tighten up their legal requirements around environmental and social impact, companies must keep up with changes, including the increased need for environmental impact assessments.
"A growing number of countries in Africa are focused on good international industry practice and project design to manage risks and impacts," said Darryll Kilian, partner and principal environmental consultant at SRK Consulting. The trend is demanding the expertise of experienced environmental assessment practitioners to navigate this fast-changing regulatory terrain.
"Based on SRK's experience in undertaking environmental impact assessments (EIA) for mining, infrastructure and energy projects throughout sib-Saharan Africa, we have been able to help clients address key considerations when undertaking EIAs," he added.
A project scope and schedule is conducted at the start of a project or process, although it is highly likely that this scope may change. Such changes could trigger more compliance requirements, while there is also a possibility that in-country environmental laws themselves could change. This often leads to added costs and scheduling delays, but an astute environmental assessment practitioner could help avoid this.
Before undertaking the regulated EIA proces, it is vital to confirm and clarify project details alongside the legal requirements for environmental authorisarations. This is important as legislated timeframes can leave insufficient time to adequately meet legislative requirements, if the scope of the project changes within the regulated timeframe. With the support of an environmental assessment practitioner, however, the applicant can map out the requirements optimally before the EIA process commences.
