Paris: Mining on Top Africa

9 July 2024

Early July, the NCEA participated in Mining on Top Africa, a major conference on mining in Africa. The conference focused on European - African partnerships for sustainable and inclusive development. 

The NCEA participated in a panel on mining partnerships for long term successful projects. Here we made a case for SEA for the mining sector, highlighting the African case studies included in Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Mining Sector, a joint report by IGF and NCEA. 

One example from this report is the case of Namibia, which was faced with a rapidly increasing demand for uranium at the beginning of this century. An SEA helped the country prepare for the rising demand. This example offers interesting parallels with the current increase in demand for energy transition materials. The EU and other partners can help African countries carry out such SEAs, both through funding as well as by providing technical assistance. 

The conference was held in Paris and brought together 200 participants from over 25 countries.