Integrated construction ser- vices, materials and infrastructure investment organisation Group Five, which will exhibit at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, considers the event to be a premium marketing opportunity in the mining industry, Group Five projects GM Mark Humphreys tells Mining Weekly.

“Group Five has been sending delegates to the Mining Indaba since 2006 and began exhibiting in 2009. Although we do target specific potential clients at the indaba, we continue to add to, and market, our services offering, with a particular focus on the construction of cross-border mining plants. This will hope- fully help add to our client base in the near future,” he says.

Group Five-owned building materials producer Everite, which first exhibited at the Mining Indaba in 2012, will exhibit alongside Group Five at this year’s event. Everite technical manager Andrew de Klerk notes that the Mining Indaba provides a platform for the company to market its products to the African mining industry.

“Everite will showcase its product offering, related to camp infrastructure and accommodation, for construction and mining staff,” he says.

Humphreys says the Mining Indaba enables mining companies to showcase their prospects to investors, which could assist in boosting the pressured South African economy.

De Klerk adds that, while mining houses and service providers attend the indaba, financial institutions are also well represented, as many are looking for investment opportunities in Africa.

“Once projects get under way and materials are procured in South Africa for export, the influx of foreign currency into our country is boosted,” he says.

Meanwhile, Humphreys explains that the South African mining sector is not as buoyant as the rest of Africa, and is currently not a primary focus of Group Five. He believes South Africans need to work together to make the country a more attractive environment for potential investors.

“At present, it seems that potential investors are considering prospects on the African continent, but not in South Africa,” he explains.

Humphreys further notes that Group Five is focusing on several projects in resources-rich Africa, which should contribute to a sustainable income stream for the continent’s mining industry.

He adds that Group Five would like to increase its mining plant construction footprint in Africa and to clearly present a comprehensive, yet economical, solutions offering to mines in Africa, regardless of how difficult the location may be to access.