Contributed by 4Sight Holdings
Technology continues to play a transformative role in the African mining industry, with the topic set to feature prominently at the 2025 Investing in African Mining Indaba, which will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) under the theme of “Future-proofing African mining, today”.
By leveraging data analytics tools and AI-enabled capabilities, mine operators can transform operations from a state of retrospective reporting that offers hindsight to real-time reporting that delivers actionable insights and eventually achieve adds the ultimate goal of predictive capabilities that deliver foresight. Supplied by 4Sight Holdings
While the sector is looking to technology adoption to play a game-changing role in transforming operations, productivity and output, mining executives need to consider where to invest for the biggest impact against a backdrop of constrained access to capital, the need for environmental stewardship and rising costs.
“Only 15% of companies have data-ready operations to maximise return on investment (ROI) on investments into artificial intelligence (AI) and realise their transformation objectives,” states Wilhelm Swart, chief operational technologies officer at 4Sight Holdings.
According to Swart, the key to unlocking value from technology to drive efficiency lies in the ability to leverage data effectively.
“We spend significant time collecting and analysing data across the five critical business domains of People, Stakeholders, Operations, Finance and Innovation to deliver a measurable and meaningful impact in the mining sector,” explains Swart.
“By leveraging data analytics tools and AI-enabled capabilities, mine operators can transform operations from a state of retrospective reporting that offers hindsight to real-time reporting that delivers actionable insights and eventually achieves the ultimate goal of predictive capabilities that deliver foresight.
“Overall, AI and automation can deliver up to 55% in efficiency improvements with the correct solutions and implementation plans by improving speed, safety and quality,” affirms Swart.
These efficiency improvements also positively impact miners from an Operations perspective. AI-modelled mine simulations are used to visualise inefficiencies or identify bottlenecks.
“The AI solution can identify areas where more data is required for analysis, allowing mine operators to deploy automation to pull the data needed to gain greater visibility,” continues Swart.
Additional areas where technology delivers efficiency gains include optimisation through decision-support systems, advanced operational control platforms and predictive maintenance.
In this regard, asset performance management (APM) and machine learning (ML) algorithms combine structured and unstructured data to help predict equipment failures and accurately forecast maintenance needs to maximise uptime and equipment lifespan through predictive maintenance.
From a People perspective, Willie Ackerman, chief sales and marketing officer explains that technology plays multiple roles, helping empower miners by improving health and safety (H&S) management and meeting regulatory compliance requirements while supporting better workforce productivity and uplifting the role and impact that people have in the workplace.
“AI-enabled solutions can automate visibility into H&S procedures with real-time monitoring via an integrated system to better manage the environment. The real-time feedback from IoT devices provides critical insights, analysing historical data and real-time metrics to predict safety incidents and reduce risks by mitigating human errors to improve or enhance an environment to make it safer.”
AI-enabled solutions can automate visibility. Image by Freepik
The real-time visibility via dashboards also streamlines reporting, ensuring operators meet regulatory compliance standards and make informed decisions, mentions Ackerman.
AI solutions also improve efficiencies and productivity by modernising the operating environment through improved communication and collaboration, where AI co-pilots from Microsoft play a key role in enhancing the role and impact of human resources by making people better at and more efficient in their jobs.
“While technology can solve many common industry challenges, the key to unlocking its full potential depends on how well we upskill and reskill operators to adopt and use AI tools, which is why technology implementation alone is not enough. Miners require a service provider that can also deliver the training and change management services to support adoption and entrench usage,” explains Ackerman.
Regarding the Stakeholder pillar, Swart explains that AI technology can improve visibility on sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) scores.
“Many miners remain mired in the manual, reactive, hindsight-focused aspect of ESG reporting but AI-based technology solutions can automate and streamline this critical aspect related to a mine’s licence to operate (LTO),” elaborates Swart.
“Embracing solutions like Sustainability Manager from Microsoft moves an operation from hindsight to real-time ESG insights via dashboards that miners need to actively manage and improve their scores and then start predicting outcomes.”
Beyond the ESG reporting aspect, technology can help customers materially impact sustainability scores through enhanced water balancing and carbon emission reduction.
Left to right: Willie Ackerman, chief sales and marketing office, and Wilhelm Swart, chief operational technologies officer at 4Sight Holdings. Supplied by 4Sight Holdings
“Automating mine operations through IoT and AI has a significant impact on carbon emission reduction by improving efficiencies to deliver greater yields,” explains Swart.
For example, Advanced Process Control (APC) projects can deliver a 4% improvement in yields that result in the same percentage reduction in carbon emissions.
Ackerman explains that the Finance pillar focuses on integrating financial and ERP systems to get real-time insights to move the operation from hindsight through insight to foresight.
“Metal accounting solutions support end-to-end optimisation by consolidating data from various sources, including sampling, assaying, and production records, into a single, centralised system, which eliminates data silos and ensures data consistency,” explains Ackerman.
By automating calculations and reconciliations, these systems streamline the metal accounting process, reducing manual effort and minimising errors while providing real-time data-driven insights into production performance that support quicker decision-making.
Lastly Ackerman mentions the Innovation pillar ensures mine operators position themselves for the future to maintain their relevance and agility in the dynamic global commodities sector.
“Technology investments must focus on how to incorporate AI across all areas of the business to ensure African mines and workforces do not get left behind in a technology-orientated world,” elaborates Ackerman.
“AI will not displace people in the mining sector. Instead, empowering human resources by training Africa’s workforce to leverage and work alongside AI will unlock technology’s transformative power, ensuring Africa emerges as a competitive force on the global mining stage,” concludes Ackerman.