By Emmanuel Oluebube, Correspondent UK

Investing in African Mining Indaba (Mining Indaba), part of Hyve Group Plc is delighted to announce the first line-up of keynote speakers for Mining Indaba Virtual, which will be held on 2-3 February 2021. Mining Indaba is renowned for offering a high calibre of speakers, and 2021 is no exception.

The organisers are extremely pleased to confirm that His Excellency, Félix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has confirmed his participation at the online conference.

President Tshisekedi became leader of the DRC in January 2019; it was a landmark moment for the country as the first peaceful and democratic transfer of power. He will be delivering the opening keynote address of Mining Indaba Virtual on 3 February 2021.

“It’s an honour to be able to host His Excellency, President Félix Tshisekedi, at Mining Indaba Virtual. He will be among a group of exceptional speakers we’ll be hosting on the virtual stage, discussing issues affecting the mining sector, including improving bilateral trade and economic relations. It is very exciting for us that the online event is attracting so much interest from both Governments and the private sector,” comments Portfolio Director, Mining Indaba, Simon Ford.

Joining His Excellency on the growing list of speakers are CEOs, government leaders and senior representatives from across the global mining industry. Together they will tackle topics including using mining to reboot national economies, embracing ESG in the boardroom, harnessing the power of automation and the rise of gold during the COVID-19 pandemic.

First line-up of speakers includes:

• Chief Executive, Anglo American, Mark Cutifani
• Deputy Executive and Africa Director, EITI, Bady Baldé
• CEO & Founder, CGC Consulting, Clive Govender
• CEO, Southern & Eastern Africa, Siemens, Sabine Dall’Omo
• Natural Resources Editor, Financial Times, Neil Hume
• CEO, Minerals Council South Africa, Roger Baxter
• CEO, Sibanye-Stillwater, Neal Froneman
• CEO, Bushveld Minerals, Fortune Mojapelo
• CEO, Gold Fields, Nick Holland
• Lead Metals Analyst, BloombergNEF, Dr. Kwasi Ampofo
• Director, Tavistock, Lord Charles Vivian

The theme for Mining Indaba Virtual is ‘Resilience & Regrowth: Adopting the New Mindset for African Mining’ to help rebuild and shape the future of the industry. This free to attend online conference features high-level content including pioneering insights, multi-stakeholder strategic conversations, keynote addresses and more.

Registration for the Mining Indaba Virtual has now opened, the event is free to attend.