Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2015

Abstract

The IBA’s recent Conference, Investing in Africa: Opportunities for Businesses and

the Lawyers Who Counsel Them, held in New York on 24-26 June 2015, highlighted the growing challenges and opportunities related to infrastructure needed for major mining projects in sub-Saharan Africa. The mining sector, which remains critical to many economies in the region, is being hampered by the lack of adequate transport, power and other infrastructure, as was underscored by participants in the ‘Trends in the Mining Sector’ panel. In the current depressed commodity price environment, large investments in infrastructure required to develop major, ‘world-class’ deposits is difficult to justify, causing many important projects to be delayed or cancelled. At the same time, the World Bank has identified a funding gap of US$31bn (or 5.1 per cent of GDP) annually to meet the wider-infrastructure needs of sub-Saharan Africa’s growing population and economy. In this context, host governments, mining companies, and their legal advisors are actively considering opportunities and challenges associated with the shared-use of mining infrastructure.

Disciplines

International Law | Law | Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law | Securities Law

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