AFRICA FOCUS
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SENEGAL embrace technology , especially the Fourth Industrial Revolution ( 4IR ) technologies . Automation , big data , and Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) can help mining firms in Africa limit their effects on the environment . These technologies can also help mining firms boost productivity , improving working conditions and reducing overall operating expenses .
Some African mines have already started incorporating technology into their operational processes . Resolute Mining ' s Syama mine in Mali is on course to be the world ' s first fully autonomous underground mine . Autonomous haulage and loaders are used to move ore and waste to the surface of the mine , while drilling is also becoming a technologically advanced venture . Kumba Iron Ore , a leading South African supplier of seaborne iron ore , also incorporates drone technology in its mining practices . This has significantly reduced the need for employees to do physical blast clearances and survey activities as drone technology is employed to carry out these activities . The incorporation of technology by some mines in Africa shows that Africa ' s mining industry will keep improving . Indeed , existential challenges like lax regulatory oversight , weak public institutions , and the ripple effects of political instability still weigh heavily on the continent ' s mining industry . But the future of Africa ' s mining industry couldn ' t be brighter .
With technology , Africa can improve its meagre 5 % share of global mining production to the levels reached by other continents – and there ' s no reason it should not . Investors and critical stakeholders in African mining must not shy away now from the opportunity .
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