
Drawing on his experience across Southern Africa, he explores why these relationships are under pressure today, the root causes when partnerships fail, and what it takes to move from a compliance-driven approach to true collaboration.
Werner also discusses how risk and governance should be structured, the role of shared infrastructure, community development, and regional alignment, and what lasting value looks like for mines reaching maturity or closure.
Looking ahead, he reflects on the indicators that would signal genuinely mature, resilient mining–government partnerships across Africa.

A growing number of mineral-producing governments are acquiring assets, activating marketing rights and building institutions that can intervene across the value chain.

Exxaro is set to exit its only offshore asset through a two-step transaction that will see it acquire Anglo American’s remaining stake in the Moranbah South coking coal project before selling the entire asset to Stanmore Resources for $105 million.

Lindian Resources is seeking to build a vertically integrated rare earth supply chain stretching from its Kangankunde project in Malawi through processing facilities in Kazakhstan to downstream markets in Europe, highlighting the increasingly complex geopolitics reshaping critical minerals.