[China-Africa Friendship, Cooperation, and Win-Win] "Mining and Metallurgical Wisdom" Empowers Africa's Modernization

Editor’s Note: From September 4 to 6, 2024, the 2024 China-Africa Cooperation Forum Summit was held in Beijing. Since President Xi Jinping introduced the “True, Sincere, and Friendly Policy” toward Africa in 2013, under the strategic leadership of head-of-state diplomacy, China-Africa cooperation has achieved more fruitful results, showing greater vitality and generating more positive momentum. Central enterprises have actively participated, working hand-in-hand with the African people in areas such as trade and economics, investment, technology, infrastructure, and improvements in people’s livelihoods, all while seeking mutual development and win-win cooperation. Starting today, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) website will launch the “China-Africa Friendship, Cooperation, and Win-Win” series of reports. Please stay tuned.

BGRIMM, based on its role as a technology-driven central state-owned enterprise, fully leverages its comprehensive, full-chain, and full-lifecycle technological innovation capabilities. It highlights technological empowerment and talent exchange in China-Africa cooperation, working with African mining counterparts to jointly write a beautiful chapter of cooperation, win-win outcomes, and shared civilization.

Complementary Advantages on the Innovation Road

BGRIMM has strengthened cooperation with relevant African institutions, particularly South African mining companies and research institutes, to continuously deepen and enrich cooperation in areas such as digital mining and green mining.

In 2018, BGRIMM, together with the South African National Institute for Mineral Technology, co-founded the China-South Africa Joint Research Centre for Sustainable Development and Utilization of Mineral Resources. In 2019, relying on this "Joint Research Centre," Belt and Road Joint Laboratory was officially established. Together with many South African research institutions, BGRIMM has cooperated on solving technical challenges in mineral resource development between China and South Africa, achieving significant breakthroughs, including innovations in safe design for deep shaft mining and fully automated monitoring and early warning systems for deep mining processes. Several foreign patents and software copyrights have been granted as a result of these innovations.

Technology Empowers the Development Path

BGRIMM has advanced technology transfer and outcome transformation in line with local conditions, promoting engineering project construction and international capacity cooperation, empowering Africa's modernization with "mining wisdom."

Upgrading the "Value Chain" in International Capacity Cooperation: BGRIMM applied its self-developed advanced process technologies to solve technical difficulties in the Congo (Kinshasa) Lualaba Copper-Cobalt Mine; designed and developed a large-scale mine with an annual capacity of 30 million tons for the Sierra Leone Tonkolili Iron Ore Project; and developed unique mining-metallurgical integration technology tailored to the characteristics of the Congo (Kinshasa) Lushafa Copper-Cobalt Mine deposit.

Building a “Highway” for Technology Transfer and Outcome Transformation: BGRIMM provided comprehensive solutions for the Madagascar graphite mine development project, effectively increasing the competitiveness of graphite products. For the Ghana mining area underground mining project, advanced, green, efficient, and low-consumption equipment was used to enable rapid resource recovery. In Sudan, BGRIMM provided a tailored technical consultation solution and optimized dry separation technology to save subsequent mineral processing energy consumption based on the natural conditions of the NW Gold Mine. The Group also provided integrated mining and metallurgical design for the Congo (Kinshasa) Copper-Cobalt Resource Comprehensive Recovery Project to effectively enhance overall benefits. Experts were sent to conduct field research at Zambia’s Lualaba Copper Mine to assist in ensuring safe development with "mining solutions." BGRIMM also innovatively applied various mining, recovery, and flotation processes to address the natural conditions of Zimbabwe's Arcadia Lithium Mine, leading to early project commissioning and promoting the comprehensive utilization of mineral resources.

Building Bridges of Friendship through People-to-People Connections

BGRIMM has established a regular mechanism for interactive exchanges with several African countries through academic seminars, educational cooperation, and exchange training, injecting strong momentum into the creation of a high-level China-Africa community of shared destiny.

Building Bridges of Friendship through Scientific and Technological Exchange and Visits: Several African delegation members, including those from the Guinea Modern Management Training Program, Nigeria's Industrial, Mining, and Agricultural Chambers of Commerce, and project managers, have visited BGRIMM multiple times for exchanges and learning. Three chemical engineers from Algeria's ORGM Research Institute visited BGRIMM for three months of exchange and training. Professors from South Africa’s Gold Mine University used online meetings, technical training, and joint research to complete two research projects. Young PhD students from South Africa’s Limpopo University conducted joint fundamental and applied research with BGRIMM’s research personnel, resulting in research outcomes with academic value and industrial application potential. BGRIMM has sent four PhD researchers to South Africa's University of Cape Town and Limpopo University, where they collectively published more than ten high-level academic papers.

Tailored Training to Ignite “New Momentum”: To meet the talent needs of African countries, BGRIMM regularly holds China-South Africa Mineral Resource Comprehensive Utilization Training Programs. Starting in 2021, it has organized the “China-South Africa Modern Mineral Processing Technology Training Course” and the “China-Africa Non-Coal Mine Mining and Safety Technology Network Training Course,” training nearly 500 students from more than 10 countries, including South Africa, Zambia, and the Congo (Kinshasa), providing effective talent support for safe and efficient production in mining enterprises.

Building Shared Success and Winning the “Friendship Award”: For over ten years, BGRIMM, together with South African research teams, has undertaken several major international cooperation projects, and the cooperative research results have been industrially applied in many mining enterprises.

Source: State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council
Article Link: http://www.sasac.gov.cn/n2588025/n2588124/c31571846/content.html