The Women in Mining Training Institute concluded the 49th edition of its webinar on Thursday with a call on mining professionals to embrace new technologies to enhance value chain visibility.
The discussion, which took place under the theme, “Value of Mineral Supply Network for Economic Benefits”, had three major speakers. These are the ECO/Founder of NextPrairie Group Ltd, Omotayo Adewunmi, who spoke on Digitalizing Africa’s Mineral Supply Chain; Caroline Muchira and Managing Partner at Perekezi Consultants, Chiko Manda. The session was moderated by Dr Janet Adeyemi, president of the Women in Mining Nigeria.
In his lecture on ‘Mineral Supply Chain Visibility: How to Track and Trace Minerals for Compliance and Risk Management,’ Mr Manda noted that visibility into the entire supply chain ensures compliance with regulations, reduce the risk of human rights abuses, and improve transparency for stakeholders.
“Mineral supply chain visibility refers to the ability to track and monitor the movement of minerals from their source to their final destination. This includes being able to trace the origin of minerals, monitor their transportation and processing, and ensure that they are sourced ethically and sustainably,” he said. “It is very crucial for companies looking to demonstrate their commitment to responsible sourcing and environmental sustainability.”
Mando noted that tracking and tracing minerals for compliance and risk management is crucial for ensuring that companies are adhering to regulations and mitigating potential risks in their supply chains.
He said that by implementing robust tracking systems, companies can monitor the origin and movement of minerals throughout their supply chain, ensuring that they are sourced ethically and responsibly. This, he said not only helps companies comply with regulations such as the Dodd-Frank Act and the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation, but also helps to protect their reputation and brand image.
He listed several factors to ensure supply chain visibility. These include:
• Data sharing: Understanding the mineral origin is crucial in ensuring ethical sourcing practices. By providing a clear chain of custody, it becomes easier to trace the journey of the minerals from extraction to the final product. Open communication about these aspects can help create a more sustainable and responsible supply chain.
• Mapping the supply chain: understanding every player involved, can serve as the backbone of any transparency effort
• Suppliers engagement: Working closely with suppliers helps ensure they are meeting ethical and environmental standards. This is essential in terms of managing risks as it provides assurance that operations and activities are meeting expectations.
• Making information public: Supply chain transparency works well when information is publicly accessible.
• Consider alternative sourcing: taking measures to diversify sourcing partnerships can minimize supply chain risks and help to navigate unexpected challenges and ensure continuity of business.
In his presentation on ‘Sustainable Sourcing in Mineral Supply Chains,’ Caroline Muchira, the Kenya Ambassador for Virtu Gem, which champions transparent gemstone supply chains, said Sustainable sourcing matters because it protects both people and the planet.
“By ensuring fair labor, minimizing environmental harm, and promoting transparency, it builds trust across the supply chain,” she said. “For the gemstone industry, it also preserves community livelihoods, strengthens market reputation, and ensures the long-term availability of ethically sourced gems.”
Describing traceability as key to ethical and sustainable sourcing, she said it enhances accountability, reduces the risk of conflict minerals and empowers buyers with confidence in sourcing integrity
To track gemstones from mine to consumer, Muchira advocates that producers, processors & retailers can use digital tools like blockchain.
According to her, some of the key challenges to ethical sourcing include:
*Lack of transparency in supply chains: Opaque supply chains make it difficult to track the origin and journey of gemstones, hindering ethical sourcing efforts.
*Artisanal and small-scale mining challenges: Informal mining operations often lack oversight and can be associated with human rights abuses and environmental degradation.
*Complexity of gemstone supply networks: The global and multi-tiered nature of the gemstone industry creates challenges in ensuring ethical practices at every stage.
*Lack of industry-wide standards and regulations: The absence of consistent, enforceable standards for sustainable and ethical sourcing hinders progress in the industry.
*Consumer demand for low-cost gemstones: Consumers’ desire for affordability can incentivize companies to prioritize cost over ethical and sustainable sourcing practices.
Tayo Adewunmi, who spoke, on Digitalizing Africa’s Mineral Supply Chain, noted that Africa holds 30% of the world’s mineral reserves but captures less than 10% of their final value. He emphasised the need to leverage digitalization to reverse this imbalance and retain up to 40% more revenue by modernizing the supply chain and adding local value.
His Nextprairie Group is developing a Canadian-led platform built to digitally transform artisanal mining across Africa. It acts as traceability and sustainabilty engine; a blockchain-backed system; a marketplace; and a data hub.
According to him, the four key technologies to disrupt mining in Africa, are: Blockchain – Enables ethical certification, anti-bribery tools (e.g., for cobalt; AI & Machine Learning – Predictive analytics, fraud detection, production forecasts; IoT – Real-time fleet/equipment monitoring (30% downtime reduction); and Digital Twins – Virtual mine simulations (15%+ productivity gain).
“Africa provides the raw materials powering the global tech economy (e.g., 70% cobalt, 80% platinum, growing lithium demand),” he said. “Yet, most minerals are exported in raw form — for example, bauxite at $92/ton vs. aluminum at $2,438/ton — causing major revenue losses,” he said. “Traceability remains poor:, with $40billion plus in exports but little accountability or ethical certification.”
The Women in Mining Training Institute’s webinar highlighted the importance of embracing new technologies to enhance mineral supply chain visibility. The session featured insightful discussions on digitalizing Africa’s mineral supply chain and the value of sustainable sourcing. Mr. Manda emphasized the need for robust tracking systems to ensure compliance and ethical practices. This approach not only mitigates risks but also strengthens companies’ commitment to environmental sustainability. How can industries further collaborate to ensure transparency and ethical sourcing across global supply chains? Given the growing economic instability due to the events in the Middle East, many businesses are looking for guaranteed fast and secure payment solutions. Recently, I came across LiberSave (LS) — they promise instant bank transfers with no chargebacks or card verification. It says integration takes 5 minutes and is already being tested in Israel and the UAE. Has anyone actually checked how this works in crisis conditions?