The South African Government has finally approved its much-delayed mining charter to boost black ownership of projects. However, major components, such as the government taking a 20% stake in all new projects, have been removed due to industry complaints. We look at the mining charter’s final form and ask if it will be an effective instrument for the government’s goals in the mining sector.

Also in the first issue of the new year, we take a closer look at the effectiveness of mining traceability fees in countries around the world, consider whether M&As are a logical choice for companies looking to pool expertise in the mining sector following the proposed $18bn mega-merger of Barrick Gold and Randgold Resources, and look at the problems with uranium exploration.

Finally, we speak to the team behind a new technique using microwave energy to separate copper grains from the ore, which reduces the energy needed to extract the metal, and take a look inside Guinea’s new African Minerals Development Centre.

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Katie Woodward, editor