The BVI Advantage: Musings On Mining Indaba

Every day, almost everything we come into contact with owes its existence to something that has been mined or extracted out of the earth. Most of the dramatic advances of humankind – the Stone Age, Iron Age, industrialisation, the microchip and the lithium battery - are also linked to our increased ability to extract and utilise natural resources. These are not my musings but the musings of experienced miners.

In February I attended the 30th iteration of the annual African Mining Indaba, a now-grand affair held in the sensationally beautiful city of Cape Town each year. It attracts over 8,500 delegates, including miners, investors, government officials, geologists, mining service providers, mining equipment manufacturers (amongst others) and us lawyers who are ever keen to advise on transactions in the natural resources space. It's a fiercely busy few days spent connecting with old friends and existing contacts and making new ones over one too many