In this issue

Welcome to the latest issue of MINE Magazine.

This month, we look to the skies, and consider the potential impacts of the clouds gathering over the global mining sector. Not literally, of course, but in reference to cloud technology, and internet of things-enabled devices, which could bring a new level of connectivity and collaboration to an industry that has historically been hesitant to embrace new innovation, what with such massive profits hanging in the balance, and individual miners already working in one of the most perilous working environments. 

But the cloud could already be here to stay, and its impacts will be most keenly felt in the artisanal mining sector, where small-scale companies are able to access a much wider range of data, and keep in touch across operations, to an extent that had once only been the purview of mining majors. Could this change the balance of power in the global mining industry, and how will companies of all sizes responds to the gathering storm overhead? 

Elsewhere, we look at the mining landscape of a number of countries, to ask what the future could hold for local mining industries. From Indonesia’s landscape, pock-marked as it is by abandoned mines, to Zimbabwe’s vast but untapped reserves of vital minerals, the ever-changing needs and wants of both mining companies and mineral consumers mean countries such as these could be in for considerable change in the near future. 

We also ask what lessons can be learned from some of the biggest mining accidents of 2022, and consider if mining can ever be brought to Africa in a responsible manner, one in which environments and protected, and local people benefit from the sudden shift to massive industry. 

For all this and more, read on. 

JP Casey, editor