Windhoek, Namibia – 5 October 2017. The Department of Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission is organizing a symposium of Chambers of Mines and Mining Associations in Africa under the theme «Leveraging the role of Chambers of Mines and Mining Associations in Africa ». The Objective of the symposium is to provide a platform for Public and Private Sector dialogue guided by the principles of the Africa Mining Vision (AMV). The Symposium also serves as a platform for the creation and launch of a Pan-Africa continental body to represent the business community. Among its many roles the Continental body will act as a representative body responsible for coordinating all the activities of private sector in the minerals sector as an affiliate of the African Union.

While welcoming participants, Mr. Veston Malango, CEO of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia recalled the statement made by former President of South Africa during the Mining Indaba in 2017. According to H.E. Thabo Mbeki, the Africa Mining Vision is an excellent document to prepare the continent but Africa was not moving due to the fact that the Private Sector was not associated with the Vision right from the beginning. Mr. Malango submitted that the time has come to move as a Private Sector including Women represented in this symposium, have now come on board.

In her opening remarks, Mrs. Melody Kweba, President of African Women in Mining Association (AWIMA) pointed out how tough it is for Women to succeed in the mining industry which, she said, is a male-dominated industry. According to her, women in mining are facing a number of challenges including; lack of training, lack of financing, acquiring licenses to concessions among others. Mrs Kweba also echoed the fact that AWIMA has done a lot of work to empower women all around the Continent. She urged the mining industry to accept women and not be afraid of their vulnerability.

While addressing the Symposium, H.E. Amb. Albert M. Muchanga, Commissioner for Trade and Industry appreciated the presence of the Minister of Mines and Energy of Namibia despite his busy schedule and thanked the Government and the people of Namibia for the warm welcome and for having accepted to host the Symposium. He pointed out that the Africa Mining Vision provides the bold Vision to empower countries in ways that harness the transformative potentials of their mineral endowments. He stressed the need for a strong Public-Private Dialogue to remove the current mistrust between the Government and Private Sector that in some cases creates unnecessary conflicts in Africa. The Commissioner underlined that AMV supports countries to develop stable and effective institutions. He underscored the fact that AMV ensures an efficient environment for businesses to plan and take advantage of long-term opportunities. “If there is any issue in the AMV Private Sector Compact, please bring them out. Go through the draft Compact line by line as the key element at the end should be inclusiveness”, he mentioned. Commissioner Muchanga concluded by urging participants to take ownership of the Africa Mining Vision Compact and ensure its domestication by African Union Member states and Private Sector.

Before he declared the Symposium open Hon. Obeth Kandjoze, Minister of Mines and Energy of the Republic of Namibia expressed his gratitude to the African Union Commission for the choice of Namibia to host the Symposium. He pointed out that mining is a fundamental industry in Namibia as it contributes to 12% of its GDP and it also is a major employer in the Country. He highlighted that job creation in mining Industry in Namibia is procured by the sector itself. However, he acknowledged that efforts remain to be made to include Youth and Women in the sector. The Minister stressed that Namibia subscribed to the Africa Mining Vision and recommended that Private Sector should be a key partner in order to underline and maintain its sustainability. He concluded by emphasizing the readiness of Namibia to domesticate the AMV. He informed the Symposium that Namibia is currently reviewing its Mining Policy in order to align with the Africa Mining Vision.

The Africa Mining Vision (AMV) is a Continental policy framework, adopted by African Union Member States in 2009. Successful implementation of the Vision hinges on participation by the Private Sector and other key regional and country stakeholders in Africa. The African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) has the mandate to accelerate the AMV implementation across the Continent.

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For further information, please contact Mr. Frank Dixon Mugyenyi, Senior Industry Advisor - Email: MugyenyiF@africa-union.org

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Patient Atcho, Department of Trade and Industry – Tel: + 251 929335250 - Email: atchop@africa-union.org and Esther Azaa Tankou, Directorate of Information and Communication, AUC Tel. +251 911361185, E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org

For further information: Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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