Resource sector investment conference organiser Resources 4 Africa aims to support the junior mining industry in South Africa through relevant industry discussions and debates, thought-provoking content on the industry’s most relevant issues at this year’s Junior Indaba.

The focus of this year’s Indaba, in its fifth year, is to revive the local junior mining sector, with the prospect of achieving a thriving industry, Resources 4 Africa CEO Paula Munsie tells Engineering News.

“Delegates and speakers from the mining and investment communities, the Department of Mineral Resources and the Minerals Council South Africa will attend. “The Junior Indaba is developed by the industry for the industry.”

Some of the speakers include coal mining company Minergy CEO Andre Boje, integrated software supplier IsoMetrix sales director Cecilia Jofre, mining company Alphamin Resources CEO Boris Kamstra, advisory services firm Cadiz Corporate Solutions director Peter Major, mining investment advisory company MX Mining Capital Advisors director Dr Mike Seeger, minerals explorer Orion Minerals MD and CEO Errol Smart and Australia-Africa Minerals and Energy Group CEO William Witham.

Meanwhile, Mining Charter III, gazetted last year, offers the junior mining sector “revived direction”, and Munsie adds that this led to “a definite buzz in the sector – a renewed energy to prospecting and movement on small- to medium-sized projects”. The charter will feature in a few of the conference discussion sessions.

Other session themes include the outlook for commodities, coal and the contribution of junior miners to the Southern African Development Community’s coal mining industry, and whether access to funding for junior miners has improved.

Attendees of the event include representatives from junior to midtier mining companies, resource and exploration companies, large-scale mining companies, the finance and investment community, as well as stock and commodity exchanges.

Investors, government representatives, policymakers, regulators, infrastructure and energy parastatals, legal advisories and law firms, as well as representatives from the mining services industry will also attend.

Further, the organisers expect between 300 and 400 delegates to attend the event this year. “The Junior Indaba is a niche event and there is limited attendance to keep the conversations relevant and intimate,” Munsie points out.

Professional services firm PwC will serve as the lead sponsor and will be supported by engineering group DRA Global and IsoMetrix as gold sponsors.

The Junior Indaba will be held at The Country Club, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, from June 4 to 5.