The event will place the role and value of the mining sector's corporate lawyers in the spotlight like never before. The meeting is to be held within the ‘Investing in African Mining Indaba’ week - commonly known as Mining Indaba - in Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2020.

The Indaba GC Forum will focus on issues unique to the in-house legal sector working in mining and will include discussions on investment, regulatory challenges, political uncertainty and climate change - to name but a few.

The half-day event, on February 6, is being hosted by Africa Legal in partnership with ITE Group and the Investing in African Mining Indaba.

 Scott Cowan, CEO & Co-founder of the Africa Professional Services Group (of which Africa Legal is a subsidiary), said the event created a dedicated space where GCs and in-house counsel could discuss key issues affecting their roles and objectives.

 “This is a no-cost forum tailored for the pan-African legal community working in mining. Aside from the sector-focused discussion, it will also be an opportunity to network within the wider Indaba.”

Cowan said Africa Legal was partnering on the initiative because of its continent-wide reach within the legal community.

“Our platform is the ideal forum to bring this very specialised group of legal experts together. And, to present a forum like this with ITE, with its unrivalled event capabilities, is an honour!”

Tom Quinn, Head of Content at the Mining Indaba said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Africa Legal on this vital new feature for the Mining Indaba platform. Given the complexity of pan-African regional legal systems, the need to navigate these for local employment, and mining operations to capitalise on resource opportunities, it is incredibly important for both in-house legal teams and their law firm partners to understand the African mining industry landscape. This includes land rights issues, environmental and employment law, and the latest developments for the industry from a legal perspective.”

“Together with Africa Legal we have identified a need for new thought-leadership and networking opportunities, specifically for the mining business community involved in all legal aspects of sustainable operations. We aim to address this gap through the GC Forum at February’s Mining Indaba and provide unique opportunities for local and international law firms to meet with in-house legal teams to enhance their capabilities and industry knowledge,” Quinn said.

On climate change - an issue now directly affecting mining operations in many parts of the world - Cowan said the conference would be an opportune time to look at issues like liability, insurance and sustainability. The Mining Indaba will be underway in Cape Town from February 3 to 6. It is one of the biggest events of its kind in the world attracting global investors, governments and major mining corporations. 

Previous speakers for the February 2019 edition included:  South African President Cyril Ramaphosa; Ghana President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; Mark Cutifani, Chief Executive of Anglo American; Mark Bristow, President and Chief Executive of Barrick; and Simone Niven, Head of Group Corporate Relations for Rio Tinto. 

Gain business-critical insight, network with peers and better understand your place in the mining ecosystem at this must-attend conference. Read the press release from Africa Legal here.