As expected, the recently initiated Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI) stimulated discussion at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town – with SRK Consulting’s professional teams from Africa and China on hand to offer their insights.
According to Dominique Sambwa, chairman of SRK Congo, mining players in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are responding to the fast-evolving environmental, social and governance (ESG) landscape.
“Having moved quite quickly from a state-controlled mining industry to one that encouraged private investment, the DRC has been developing its local legislation,” said Sambwa. “At the same time, larger global companies operating in the DRC have been driving global standards – and the prospect of a consolidated mining standard in the future is raising considerable interest.”
DRC-China-SA collaboration
He noted that the presence of many China-based mining companies in the DRC had led to concerted collaboration between SRK teams in China, the DRC and South Africa since 2022 – helping Chinese clients to comply with local legislation and global standards.
Frank Li, principal geologist in SRK’s Beijing practice, travels extensively to the DRC as part of this collaboration. Li explained that SRK’s role in the DRC has expanded well beyond its technical services and into international standards compliance.
“Many of our clients find themselves in a situation where their financiers want them to comply with one standard, while their supply chain might prefer another,” he said.
Read the full article here.
