Ukwazi, one of Africa’s leading mining services specialists, today launches a new division, aimed at providing innovative, sustainable solutions for environmental and closure liability management, including post-closure plans.

“The mining industry is at an inflection point,” says Jaco Lotheringen, Managing Director at Ukwazi. “New approaches in environmental and social governance are required in order to successfully manage complex country, market and operational risks. Innovation, coupled with enhanced regulatory and reporting requirements, makes finding tailored, cutting-edge solutions in this field imperative.”

Ukwazi’s Sustainable Mining Practice (USMP) is led by a team of natural scientists and engineers, with unique sector capabilities across a range of fields, from value engineering through to sustainable mining.

Dr Christine Vivier, who heads up USMP, states that it will adopt a fully integrated approach to environmental risk management. “Our overall objective is to transform existing closure design philosophy by shifting the focus to comprehensive, life-cycle liability management; lowering costs, reducing risk and strengthening balance sheets.”

Ukwazi’s new service offering comprises specialist environmental studies, the execution of closure and post-closure plans, expert advice in line with local and international requirements and accurate closure estimation. Concurrent rehabilitative mining strategies will also be a key focus area, including reprocessing, water treatment and waste management.

“Of course, projects wouldn’t be worth undertaking without strategic project management and ongoing evaluation,” says Dr Vivier. “We will also be offering clients comprehensive, digital monitoring through our industry leading Environmental Management Information Systems (EMIS). What’s more, our project delivery is based on engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) principles or bespoke contractual services.”

Ukwazi’s end goal is to ultimately transform active mines into safe, stable and sustainable landforms, fully equipped to support future economic activities.

Comments Spencer Eckstein, Ukwazi’s Head of Business Development, “All industry stakeholders can agree that environmental and social sustainability lies at the heart of the future of mining. Together, we can reflect, revive, repurpose and reshape.”

Ukwazi is an established, black-owned mining solutions provider, offering independent advisory, technical systems integration and operational contract mining services to a range of clients, across multiple markets and geographies.