INDABA Week in Cape Town – Collaboration and Collective Action in Accountable Mining and the Energy Transition

20 MARCH 2023

In February this year, the Transparency International (TI) Accountable Mining Programme (AMP) team, Dr Ana Estefania Carballo and Van Duyen Nguyen, travelled to South Africa to attend the Investing in African Mining Indaba (INDABA) and Alternative Mining Indaba (AMI).

Investing in African Mining Indaba (INDABA) is the world’s largest mining investment event in Africa. It’s been running for over 25 years and brings together junior, mid-tier, and major mining companies, investors, governments, and civil societies.

This year, the focus was “Unlocking African Mining Investment: Stability, Security, and Supply.” The discussion was focused on maintaining business integrity throughout the value chain. With representatives from government and industry, including junior miners as well as Chinese mining companies, there were many opportunities for collaboration and advocacy.

Dr Ana Estefanía Carballo moderated the panel discussion entitled “Strengthening ESG: Why Anti-Corruption and Business Integrity in the Mining Sector are Key for the Energy Transition,” which was well attended by INDABA participants. The panellists included Ms Nafi Chinery (Africa Director, NRGI), Mr Aidan Davy (Chief Operation Officer, ICMM), Ms Fatma Nyambura (Policy Manager, EITI), and Ms Marion Povencher (Gender Analyst, IGF).

The discussion focused on the energy transition’s critical challenges for the mining industry and resource-rich countries, where the government needs to be more assertive.

With the speed and scale required for the energy transition, there is significant risk that projects will be fast-tracked or bypass normal licensing processes. It is important to ensure that the mineral needs for the energy transition are met sustainably while respecting the rights and interests of all stakeholders, such as industry, governments and communities.

Alternative Mining Indaba (AMI): the opportunities and challenges associated with a global just energy transition

The AMI brings together voices from mining, oil, and gas communities, and centres the lived reality of people affected by mining. A community-led event running in parallel with INDABA, the central theme was “A just energy transition: Unlocking community potential and participation.”

This collaborative approach is critical to support a better understating of the opportunities and challenges associated with a global just energy transition, and the agenda included activities for participants to engage in meaningful dialogue, analysis and capacity building. Significant gaps exist between the government and companies’ commitment to a just transition; participants expressed their concern that Africa, with abundant green minerals, without proper development mechanisms, may once again be missing out on development opportunities, this time in the energy transition process.

Empowering communities, including women, in the development process was an important message. TI participants offered powerful examples of engagement and empowerment, with TI Madagascar Executive Director, Dr Ketakandriana Rafitoson (Madagascar), speaking at the plenary session, “Trends, Opportunities, Challenges and Transformative Strategies for A Just Energy Transition in Africa.”

Regional workshop: pan-Africa collaboration for just energy transition worked for people of Africa

With so many TI chapters attending the INDABA and the AMI, AMP also took the chance to organise a regional meeting for participating African TI Chapters, including Ligue Congolaise de Lutte contre la Corruption (LICOCO) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana Integrity Initiative (online), TI Kenya, Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), Transparency International Initiative Madagascar, TI Sierra Leone, Corruption Watch South Africa, TI Zambia, and TI Zimbabwe.

The AMP has established clear communication channels across the TI Global Movement, hosting monthly meetings and organising a dedicated virtual group for coordination. This was a significant opportunity for the AMP to update TI AMP chapters on energy transition in the African region, capacity building and discuss strategy and opportunities for collaboration within the movement in the next few years.

The meeting agreed that AMP had developed valuable business integrity tools that provide consistent approaches and insightful results. As staff turnover is high in chapters, the workshop was the opportunity to exchange experience using these tools.

From the African regional perspective, the energy transition is a priority, aligning with the focus of AMP, which is deeply invested in strengthening capacity within the TI movement and cooperation with other CSOs to continue raising the voices of community. TI Chapters learned lessons on how governments negotiate with business and access the benefit of exploiting minerals to support the community dealing with companies during the licencing stage, such as in the case of DRC.

Participants commented that AMP’s paper “What does energy transition mean for the mining sector” is an excellent publication that can be an essential reference for chapters, and highlights how advocacy approaches must shift and evolved to remain effective in new setting. With multinational companies rushing to Africa for green minerals, TI chapters and anti-corruption advocates globally must continue to work together with a common vision and shared focus.

A motivational ending

All participants agreed that the meeting offered an important opportunity to consolidate AMP cooperation and explore possibilities of collaboration. A visit to the iconic Table Mountain at the end of the week was a special moment for all involved, and the week ended with energy and a greater sense of unity.

Transparency International Australia
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