Programme

Session 1 - Mining in the Trump Era

Global mining M&A is being reshaped by a new era of strategic competition for resources. Driven by geopolitical fragmentation, resource security concerns, defence spending and the energy transition, countries and corporations are increasingly treating critical minerals, defence metals and gold as strategic assets rather than simply saleable commodities. Against a backdrop of strong gold prices, central bank buying and fiscal uncertainty, the sector is seeing renewed consolidation, cross-border partnerships and sovereign-backed investment. These macroeconomic and geopolitical forces mean that control of high-quality mineral assets is becoming an imperative, driving sovereign investment and consolidation in the industry.

Session 2 - Mining in the Age of Trump 2

Session 3 - Maximising your Bang for Bucks

Public Reports under the South African Codes and Johannesburg Stock Exchange Listings Requirements disclose an uncertain future mining business, not merely technical information. Although the Codes prescribe standards, guidelines and recommendations under the principles of transparency, materiality, competence and reasonableness, their effectiveness depends on decision-useful disclosure of the physical and economic mining business pursued This paper considers how compliance in substance may be assessed in Public Reporting practice.

This paper proposes the Real Mine construct as a benchmark for this assessment. It links the corporate objective, the Mineral Asset in its physical and market context, and the mining business investors are asked to support. It tests whether the Public Report communicates that relationship through four lenses: absolute physical configuration that reflects the corporate objective, relative economic evaluation, mining value chain confidence fundamentals, and earned maturity.

An empirical review of Competent Persons’ Reports and equivalent Public Reports in a regulated setting indicates recurring gaps between disclosure in form and substance. These include weak explanation of the mining method footprint required to meet the corporate objective, uneven Modifying Factor evidence, weak estimate accuracy disclosure, limited risk-proportional treatment of uncertainty, and evaluation assumptions not consistently aligned with the financing cost, maturity and confidence of the reported case.

The Real Mine construct therefore offers Competent Persons, Competent Valuators, issuers and reviewers a practical benchmark for testing whether Public Reports move beyond compliance in form to disclose the mining business and real risk investors are asked to assume.

Russia's engagement across Africa has grown steadily, blending resource access, diplomatic realignment, and a push to counter Western influence. This presentation examines Moscow's objectives and how it exerts influence — from private military contractors to more direct military engagement — and assesses the resulting risks for international operators and mining entities, including security, regulatory, and reputational exposure. It closes with the practical cost of operating in these environments and approaches mining companies can take to counter the threat.

Session 4 - The Importance of Technical and Commercial Communications