This is a guest blog authored by Lawrence Ndago, Executive Director at Multiflow Geoconsult Services Limited. Lawrence is one of the participants of the community voices video competition hosted by The Impact Facility, in partnership with Mining Indaba that invited community members, representatives of indigenous peoples in mining areas, civil society organisations, activists and visionaries to share their perspectives on what is needed to ensure an equitable, inclusive and responsible mining sector that serves as an engine for community development with the goal of transforming minerals wealth into lasting, multi-generational prosperity. 

Lawrence attended Mining Indaba 2025 in Cape Town from 3 – 6 February in Cape Town, South Africa, and this blog summarises their experience at the conference.  More information about the competition is available here. 

The scene was set by a sponsored video competition courtesy of The Impact Facility (TIF) seeking submissions on what it means to future-proof mining operations from the community perspective. This was an interesting start, especially due to the possibility of having such voices represented at the ‘African Mining Indaba’, an event traditionally known for high-level interactions and participation by large-scale industry players. The fulfilment of my dream to be part of the event (MI25) came from a highly valued sponsorship and facilitation by the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM), an organisation whose collaboration with TIF has seen my ASM transformation agenda take shape at the grass root.

The 2025 Mining Indaba held in Cape Town from February 2-6 had the theme “Future-proofing African Mining Today”, which was particularly of interest to me drawing from my involvement in Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) under my company, Multiflow Geoconsult and Services (MGS). The opportunity to participate was therefore “golden” considering facets such as “future-proofing our communities”, “……….prioritisation of health and safety”, and above all, being part of the inaugural artisanal and small-scale mining community voices at the event. I, therefore, attended the event with two main goals: echoing the important role of transformed ASM and highlighting how ASM is perceived and or positioned in the global mineral value chain.

Despite being full of agendas, the event’s Sustainability series did not disappoint. Moderated by TIF Co-founder David Sturmes-Verbeek, the session ‘What needs to change to harness the full potential of ASM’, sponsored by EPRM and which I was privileged to be part of, saw panellists affirming my belief in ASM. For instance, Dr Rachel Perks (World Bank), drawing from a recently concluded research which reported minimal impact despite substantial sectoral funding, howled the complex nature of the sector while highlighting its potential if “well managed”, confirming that “the sector is here to stay”. Bemoaning slow progress in the sector, EPRM Senior Advisor Dr. Titus Sauerwein highlighted budget constraints and top-down interventions as contributors. However, perspectives from artisanal and small-scale (ASM) players in the panel, Faith Mutete and myself, informed points of change, which saw both Rachel and Titus propose a bottom-up approach to ensure sector-wide change. This affirmed the importance of professionalising ASM through collaborative approaches, a transformation journey my company, MGS, initiated from the grassroots.

The role of ASM players further emerged from a session sponsored by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), “Transparency from the ground up: emerging approaches for connecting mines to the supply chain for more credible due diligence”, moderated by Benjamin Katz where panellists underscored the need for more simplified standards and procedures while calling for drafters and upstream players to apply such procedures considering the varied levels from which minerals are produced. Further calls were made for drafters and due diligence surveillance groups to consider the operations landscape as opposed to blanket approaches, which were found to risk locking compliant players from the mainstream supply chain. This was important since mainstream market access has emerged as a major challenge to ASM, leaving them to seek alternative, opaque markets hence the tag ‘irresponsible mining’. 

Focus on the community in a session called “The communities we leave behind: Mine closure”, where one among the panellists, Sonwabo Modimoeng, representing community voices, highlighted the need to focus beyond mining life to ensure sustainable livelihoods. The risks from abandoned and depleted ore bodies were well highlighted, with all the panellists agreeing on the need for proactivity among community players, a belief that forms the foundation of MGS in transformative ASM. This session was an eye-opener since it applies to all players irrespective of capacity as long as they are engaged in mining activities. Abandoned mines continue to be a menace to communities across the mining sector, much as these may be put into gainful use if properly and innovatively looked into.

The event, owing to its equity among all attendees, provided an opportunity to gainfully interact. The welcome party sponsored by John Deer provided an off-the-event relaxed networking setting where I gained valuable contacts that shaped my agenda, including exhibitors on which to focus. Further personalised networking opportunities to understand various country and global perspectives were offered in the Community Voices Dinner, where experiences were shared, a session which provided key insights not only from community representatives but also international organisations such as Fair Cobalt Alliance, World Gold Council, The Hyve Group, EPRM, TDi Sustainability, and The Impact Facility among others.

My curiosity and sectoral passion led me to attend the opening session of the Alternative Mining Indaba, reflections of which will be provided in my further Cape Town visit write-ups.

• The community within which mining operations occur has a crucial role in promoting trade through collaborations and proactivity. These attributes are crucial to the real future-proofing of their future. 
• ASM has a solid position in the mineral value chain, and players in the sector MUST professionalise their operations to claim this position.
• Leveraging technological advancements provides a leap for mining operators and must be collaboratively considered.

The interactions provided perspectives which rekindled my zeal to actively participate in and debunk negative beliefs surrounding ASM since the role of ASM emerged unchallengeable. Further, the need to support global organisations implementing various ASM-specific programs emerged prominently, a challenge that MGS and its allies are prepared to confront for steady sector-wide transformation.

Overall, The Mining Indaba 2025, being my first time, provided an inspirational and enriching experience because of the diversity it embraces while meeting my objective to attend. Actionable insights provided on how technology and collaboration can revolutionise ASM operations beyond physical boundaries are one my organisation is eager to explore while embracing exchange programs as a means to live up to the commitment to transform and ensure sector-wide transformation. I remain particularly impressed by the opportunity provided by the MI25 organisers to allow attendees to provide detailed feedback, and I am already looking forward to being part of the event in the coming year, along with any side events where our experiences can be tapped into to bolster change.