Miners discuss new EU import law

A SKILLS shortage and the European Union’s new law on mineral imports are some of the major challenges faced by the local mining industry.

This was said by the General Manager of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia, Veston Malango, at the fourth Southern Africa Base Metals Conference being held at Swakopmund. About 200 delegates from SADC countries, the United States, Canada and Europe are attending.He said the mining industry was benefiting from rapid growth due to skyrocketing mineral prices worldwide, which have been unmatched for the last 30 years.”This is a boom time for the mining industry,” he said, describing Asia as the main driving force behind the favourable markets due to its push for better living standards.While mining companies are taking advantage of this favourable climate in production operations, they also face many challenges as a direct consequence.One of the biggest problems is a lack of skilled personnel, according to him.He said mining operations are capital intensive and cutting-edge technology has to be employed.The shortage of skilled workers to operate such technology means that Namibia has to import more and more expertise from other countries.The skills shortage is being experienced across the entire mining industry, he said, and for this reason the industry, through the Chamber of Mines, aims to increase the number of study bursaries for university students.It will also increase funding to the Namibian Institute of Mining Technology (NIMT) to boost artisan training.Another challenge for the mining industry – especially those working with base metals – is complying with new legislation in the European Union.An EU law called REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) came into effect on June 1.Failure to comply with the law will cause the industry and companies to lose market access to the EU.What makes this even more challenging, he said, is that companies intending to market their products in the EU have to work through an extensive evaluation process.A series of information seminars and workshops will be held to help players in the SADC mining industry to understand the intricacies of the new EU law.The purpose of the conference, which was organised by the Namibian branch of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) is to explore the contributions made by the mining and metallurgical disciplines to Africa’s base-metal industry.About 200 delegates from SADC countries, the United States, Canada and Europe are attending.He said the mining industry was benefiting from rapid growth due to skyrocketing mineral prices worldwide, which have been unmatched for the last 30 years.”This is a boom time for the mining industry,” he said, describing Asia as the main driving force behind the favourable markets due to its push for better living standards.While mining companies are taking advantage of this favourable climate in production operations, they also face many challenges as a direct consequence.One of the biggest problems is a lack of skilled personnel, according to him.He said mining operations are capital intensive and cutting-edge technology has to be employed.The shortage of skilled workers to operate such technology means that Namibia has to import more and more expertise from other countries.The skills shortage is being experienced across the entire mining industry, he said, and for this reason the industry, through the Chamber of Mines, aims to increase the number of study bursaries for university students.It will also increase funding to the Namibian Institute of Mining Technology (NIMT) to boost artisan training.Another challenge for the mining industry – especially those working with base metals – is complying with new legislation in the European Union.An EU law called REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) came into effect on June 1.Failure to comply with the law will cause the industry and companies to lose market access to the EU.What makes this even more challenging, he said, is that companies intending to market their products in the EU have to work through an extensive evaluation process.A series of information seminars and workshops will be held to help players in the SADC mining industry to understand the intricacies of the new EU law.The purpose of the conference, which was organised by the Namibian branch of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) is to explore the contributions made by the mining and metallurgical disciplines to Africa’s base-metal industry.