![Mining Industry Association of Southern Africa [logo]](/templates/miasa/images/logo-miasa.png){kind=logo}
23 September 2015
The Mining Industry Association of Southern Africa (MIASA) is an association of Chamber of Mines in the SADC Region. MIASA was formed with the purpose of lobbying governments and other key stakeholders in Africa on policy and legislation on behalf of its member companies. MIASA meets twice a year to share leading practice on policy and legislation from its various mining jurisdictions and to further address common challenges and find resolutions that will have lasting impact on the mining industry.
At its recent meeting in Zanzibar, Tanzania, MIASA considered the current electricity challenges and discussed the positive impact that the Inga Project would have on sustainable mining in the SADC region. With the current electricity supply shortage in the region the mining industry is compelled to reduce its electricity demand by an average 10% to 30% across all member countries. Such reduction of electricity supply to the mining industry contribute to low productivity and inability to supply commodities to the detriment of the mining industry in the region. The mining industry in the region needs security of electricity supply to remain competitive in the global commodities market. MIASA therefore congratulates those countries that have signed off-take agreements from the Inga-project and further encourages other SADC countries to commit to the Inga-Project in the form of guaranteed off-take agreements. Such agreements will give confidence to such potential funders as the African Development Bank and theWorld Bank who are providing initial funding of the feasibility studies for the Inga-Project and further encourage other funding agencies to invest in the project. MIASA will continue to lobby governments in the SADC region to support the Inga-Project.
MIASA applauds the adoption of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap which was adopted at SADC Heads of State Summit on 30th April, 2015 in Harare, Zimbawe and fully supports this strategy and urges SADC to equally pay attention to Upstream and Sidestream Linkages so as to ensure a complete structural transformation of the economies of SADC whereby the minerals industry is fully integrated with other sectors of the economy.
MIASA is proud to support the Regional Response on TB in Mining in Southern Africa. In supporting this initiative MIASA has nominated two of its members to serve on the Regional Coordination Mechanism that will drive activities in TB Care and Prevention in the Region with the hope of receiving grant funding from the Global Fund Response.
MIASA has identified illegal mining as a threat to sustainable mining in the SADC region. For this reason MIASA will support all efforts to curb illegal mining in the region and further encourage Interpol and other security agencies to sign cooperation agreements that will facilitate the stemming of cross-border illegal mining activities. MIASA further supports the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to develop a global strategy to assist in dealing with the crime phenomenon. This initiative will bring together all the different national, regional and international public and private actors and design a common strategy to disrupt the value chain of these criminals on all levels.
MIASA remains an active member of International Council for Mining and Metallurgy (ICMM). At the recent meeting of the Association members of the ICMM, MIASA endorsed the mining industry's support of community development. MIASA will encourage its member companies to strengthen relations with surrounding communities in order to further legitimize its social license to operate.
Ends.
Released by
Mr. Simon Tuma-Waku
President – MIASA
All queries to be referred to
The Secretariat
MIASA
Attention: Vusi Mabena
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+27 11 498 7278