What’s the latest in African mining? Here’s your weekly roundup of top news stories in the sector, curated by the Mining Indaba team.
 
The Great Diamond Shortage That Never Was Is Likely Coming Soon. In two separate reports this week, analysts set out forecasts of a tightening market in the next few years, with diamond supply falling into deficit in or around 2021. Read more
 
NUM calls for tough mine safety law. South Africa's largest mining trade union "’ the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) "’ has called on the government to enact new legislation to compel mining companies to uphold higher safety standards and prevent avoidable mine accidents and deaths. Read more
 
30 countries face higher resource nationalism risk. According to global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft's latest Resource Nationalism Index (RNI) report, a total of 30 countries have registered a significant increase in resource nationalism risk metrics over the past year, 21 of which are considered major producers of oil, gas and minerals. Read more
 
UNEP, ethical investors join miners' quest for global tailings rules. The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) is working with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and ethical investors to devise global standards for tailings dams. The initiative is in response to the recent tragedy at Vale’s Corrego do Feijão mine in Brazil, where a tailings collapsed in January, killing about 300 people. Read more
 
Ivanhoe eyes DRC copper mine that will be larger than Grasberg and Oyu Tolgoi. Canada-headquartered Ivanhoe Mines is considering an expanded copper mining development in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which will rank the Kamoa-Kakula mine as the world’s second largest after the giant Escondida mine of BHP and Rio Tinto in Chile. Read more 
B2Gold to expand Fekola mine. Canadian miner B2Gold has decided to proceed with a planned US$50 million expansion of the Fekola gold mine in Mali to 7.5 million tonnes per annum to produce up to 550,000oz a year from 2020. Read more
 
More than a third of gold mines in Congo exposed to Ebola. More than 35% of the gold mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are at risk of being directly or indirectly affected by the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the country, the world’s top cobalt miner and a significant copper and gold producer, global consultancy Verisk Maplecroft has found. Read more
 
South African Mining Firms Seek Charter Changes Over Past Black Ownership Deals. Mining companies have requested a judicial review of South Africa’s 2018 mining charter to change clauses related to transactions made in the past to increase black ownership, an industry body said on Wednesday. Read more