The complex legal maze that General Counsels navigate when representing mining companies in Africa is the subject of a dedicated forum at the Africa Mining Indaba next year.

“A Legal Indaba – General Counsel Forum” is a half-day event, on February 6, 2020 hosted by Hyve in partnership with Africa Legal and held at the Investing in African Mining Indaba.

The subject of the forum is “Risk, Growth and Sustainability - Turning challenge to benefit as a modern mining GC.”

Aviona Mabaso, Group Legal Counsel for Bauba Resources and a member of the Conference Advisory Board said the General Counsel Forum was an opportune time to check in with other GCs in Africa.

“We will look at ways to help each other navigate the complex legal landscape that underpins mining and corporate governance in Africa. We can do this through sharing insight and practical solutions to maximize our value to a business by advising on strategic business decisions.”

Scott Cowan, Chief Executive of the Africa Professional Services Group, of which Africa Legal is a subsidiary, said for companies to capitalise on resource opportunities they faced a complex and evolving legal landscape - from local community rights to global compliance obligations.

The GC Forum is a new event and will feature speakers and panel sessions.

“This forum will also be an opportunity to share ideas about how the mining lawyer community can come together to affect change,” he said.

Key themes include:

Risk: Examines how to build and implement a culture of compliance across multiple organisational levels by convincing all stakeholders that risk management is a collective responsibility.

Growth: Reflects on the growing expectations that the board and investors place on the GC to manage local legal developments in the context of global regulations.

Sustainability: Looks at the GC’s role in coordinating sustainable mining through local relationships and strategies to unlock the value of environmental social governance.

The Conference Advisory Board Members include:

Daniel Driscoll, Vice-President Legal & Compliance, Endeavour Mining.

Aviona Mabaso, Group Legal Counsel, Bauba Resources.

Jacqueline Musiitwa, Chief Advisor (Africa & Ventures), Rio Tinto.

Fiona Edmundson, Senior Legal Counsel, Anglo American.

Ria Sanz, Executive Vice President - General Counsel, Compliance and Company Secretary.

Pier Terblanche, General Counsel, Phosphate, Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma'aden).

Jasmine Abrahams, Group Manager, Sustainability, Ivanhoe Mines.

The General Counsel Forum is free for all mining GCs.

To register your interest click here.

The Africa 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.

To sponsor the GC Forum please contact: Peter.Doolan@hyve.group

Full agenda to follow early November 2019. To find out more please contact: thomas@africapsg.com