NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Freetown, Sierra Leone- The electric motorbikes will be sold under the brand SPIRO, inaugurated in Africa in battery-swapping as a way to expand into ten nations by 2030. The corporation administrators last week approved an MOU with the administration of Uganda, which was resold by Minister of Works and Transport Gen Edward Katumba Wamala and Junior Finance Minister Hon. Henry Musasizi.

Shegun Adjadi Bakari – the CEO of SPIRO and partner at the African Fund for Transformation and Industrialization (ATIF), said the coalition with the Ugandan government was an “unprecedented step in the transition of African cities to more sustainable mobility.”

“This partnership, the first between an African government and a green mobility company on the continent, will create over 9,000 jobs.” he told.
Bakari confirmed that, they planned to set up an electric motorbike assembly plant in order to promote “made in Uganda”.

Under this partnership, Bakari said, SPIRO will deploy 140000 electric motorbikes into the Ugandan market over the following five years, as well as developing over 3000 restoring and battery swapping stations across the nation to finance this transition, which will primarily target “boda-boda”, motorbike taxi riders.

“Boda-bodas taxis presently account for more than 40% of travel flows in Kampala, and more in other cities across the country. By targeting these users, we are demonstrating our commitment to addressing the climate and health challenges posed by the pollution associated with our current modes of transport.” he told.

President Yoweri Museveni at the close of last year disclosed Government’s proposal to enable migration from petroleum-fueled vehicles, starting with the boda-bodas. This was at the time fuel prices hopped globally emerging the supply disturbance induced by the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Bakari said in the coming weeks, they will be undertaking liftoff a program to renovate conventional motorbikes with electric motorbikes, “as we are already doing in Benin, Togo, and Rwanda. Ugandan drivers will be able to hand in their old motorbikes and leave with one of our new electric models. This is a first in Africa.” he told.

SPIRO’s deployment relies on the assistance of investors such as ATIF, which has subsidized more than $50 million in the start-up. And today battery-swapping 130,000 trades from more than 250 operational battery-swapping stations per month across Benin, Togo, and Rwanda.

“Our motorbikes are specially designed and adapted for the African market and the swapping technology allows users to easily take with no range limits thanks to a battery swap station which takes 3 minutes to swap batteries, compared to the usual 3 hours for a standard charge.

The 4,500 motorbikes on the road have already traveled more than 22 million km with no CO2 emissions,” he said.

“Our ambition is to be the leading partner on the continent for countries that want to accelerate their transition to greener mobility. The signing of this agreement is a demonstration of our commitment to contribute to the vision of Uganda and its President, which places the migration from fossil fuels to electric transport as one of its priorities.”

For New Africa Daily News Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports,  Africa Correspondent

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Accra Ghana- Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) in collaboration with Trade Mark Africa (TMA) through the support of Global Affairs Canada, have launched an integrated information platform iSOKO.

Designed to support women in trade across East Africa access and use vital and simplified information, iSOKO will unlock opportunities for participation, formalization of businesses and growth in trade value.

A web and mobile platform for women traders, iSOKO will provide a regional marketplace to buy and sell goods, access vital trade and market information, find business management tools including bookkeeping, access verified service providers and networking opportunities with fellow traders. This innovative tool is part of Trade Mark Africa’s Women in Trade programme and was co-created and tested with different segments of traders across the region.

“Having women at the centre of how we do development, foreign policy and trade, is effective, and helps us to meet our development objectives key among them poverty reduction,” said Canadian High Commissioner to Kenya Christopher Thornley. “iSOKO will go a long way in addressing the key market and information gaps that exist for women traders in cross-border trade.”

The platform, which was unveiled in Nairobi, will bring together women traders from five countries in the East African Community — Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi.

Dr. Bruno Linyiru, the Secretary for Trade in the State Department for Trade, said the iSOKO portal will have a significant impact on the lives of women traders by increasing their income, improving their bargaining power and promoting their economic independence. “It is part of our broader efforts to promote gender equality and support women’s empowerment in all areas of our society.”

Other speakers included TMA Board Chairman Amb. Erastus Mwencha who observed that digital tools are enabling women from the region overcome multiple trade barriers and access more markets in the continent and beyond. “The global digital trade is estimated at US$ 5.2
trillion, and we want women traders in East Africa to attract a sizeable share of this trade. The platform we are launching today easily enhances market access by electronically connecting traders with their customers. TMA Deputy CEO Allen Asiimwe, who said the organization had been working with women traders in the region for over a decade. “With trade, women are able to grow their incomes and better their homes, communities and families.”

The portal provides free access to women traders who wish to register. This project is expected to go a long way in increasing the trade value and incomes of women traders across the region, especially those engaged in informal trade.

The occasion was also attended by KNCCI Chamber President Richard Ngatia, who noted the platform is already attracting great use by traders in the country. “Through our County chamber and Women in Business arm we have onboarded 2,650 users onto the platform with information on over 100 commodities uploaded, we expect the numbers to grow significantly after this launch” said Ngatia.

The Kenya launch is the first in the region and will be followed in the coming weeks with launches in the other four East African countries targeted in this programme.

For New Africa Daily News Richard Adorsu Reports,  Africa Correspondent

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Freetown, Sierra Leone- …hoped to declare openly some moolah modifications, rather bent on for a full modification of the inscription.

CEMAC similarly crave for a finished closure of the operating account (compte d’opération) at the Banque de France in a bid to enable the body to hold all of its foreign exchange reserves as restrained to the 50% it presently holds, and the solitude of French proxies from the decision-making and regulate bodies of the BEAC (regional Central Bank).

CEMAC is now contemplating enlisting West Africa, which is in the procedure of creating a regional currency dubbed the ECO. Experts nevertheless deem the process delicate but judging by the recent Euro/Dollar crisis, that drastically affected the FCFA, they consider the action vital.

Heads of State have proposed that the outcomes of the numerous deliberations by the BEAC should be conveyed with Ministers of Economy and finance of the member states according to sources. The Central African Republic had earlier adopted Bitcoin as Currency as legal tender.

For New Africa Daily News Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports,  Africa Correspondent

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Accra Ghana- The head of the Africa Investment Forum, African Development Bank Senior Director Chinelo Anohu, has called for stronger strategic partnerships and greater involvement of African sovereign wealth funds to rebuild the continent’s economies following the Covid-19 pandemic. Anohu made the call while giving a keynote address to Brown Capital Management Forum’s third high-level meeting for Africa sovereign wealth funds.

The Africa Investment Forum is Africa’s premier investment marketplace to accelerate transactions that close Africa’s investment gaps.

The Wilson Center, a Washington, DC think tank, hosted the two-day event titled Strengthening the Role of African Sovereign Wealth Funds in the International Financial System. Since its 2015 launch, the Brown Capital Management Africa Forum has served as a platform for US and African business leaders, policymakers and experts to discuss advancing sustainable development and commercial relations.

Representatives of 16 African sovereign wealth funds attended the meeting, the first held in person since 2019. Various international financial agencies, US government officials, and members of the diplomatic corps also attended the event.

Anohu said the Coronavirus crisis had eroded 20 years of development gains in just two years. “Forty million Africans have been pushed into extreme poverty, especially women and youth, as the pandemic exposed systemic vulnerabilities in Africa’s physical and social infrastructure,” she said.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has deepened the effects of the pandemic. The war has caused a spike in food and fuel prices. Anohu stressed that Africa’s recovery will require investments in critical infrastructure of at least $1.2 billion per year. “Africa cannot afford to be caught in the middle between geopolitical competitors, nor left behind,” she said.

Other speakers at the event were Wilson Center President Mark Green and Brown Capital Management Chairman Eddie Brown. The Wilson Center’s Africa Program Director, Dr. Monde Muyangwa, moderated the discussion, which she said, “could not be timelier.”

Muyangwa’s tenure at the Wilson Center has come to an end following her confirmation by the US Senate to be President Biden’s Administrator for Africa at the United States Agency for International Development. She was recognized for her achievements at the Center at the closing ceremony.

“This really is a crucial moment all of us to think about these challenges, but also how we pursue opportunities that will take us through these challenges,” said Mark Green. “How can sovereign wealth funds also adapt to these changing times, and what role can they play in stabilizing economies and creating that vibrant economic growth that is so key to the continent’s future?”

Eddie Brown said: “The world is changing at a rapid rate, and it is imperative that governments and financial systems adapt to it.” He said sovereign wealth funds should be an integral part of the conversation on navigating these challenges. “Early on its establishment, the Wilson Center African program recognized the critical role of sovereign wealth funds to transform Africa’s economic development, yet these institutions were not widely known.”

In her keynote address, Anohu noted that Africa’s sovereign wealth funds collectively invested about $12.7 billion in 2020—three times as much as in 2019— in response to the pandemic’s impacts. Still, she pointed out, they are seen as lacking the tools needed to identify and evaluate quality projects for investment.

“This is a gap that the Africa Investment Forum stands ready to fill,” Anohu emphasized, inviting meeting participants to attend the Africa Investment Forum’s 2022 Market Days this November. She explained that financing Africa’s ambitious development agenda demanded an enhanced role for African sovereign wealth funds.

The Africa Investment Forum Market Days, to be held from the 2nd to 4th of November in Abidjan, will bring together investors, deal sponsors, and government ministers from across the world to advance transactions that have been prepared for investment-to-investment closure. The past two Market Days events—in 2020 and 2021— were canceled because of the pandemic. As a result, there is expected to be pent up demand in November as Africa’s economies show signs of rebounding from the effects of external shocks.

The Africa Investment Forum held virtual boardroom sessions this past March. Those sessions drew $32.8 billion in confirmed investment interests, with the potential to create some 3.8 million jobs, a third of them targeting women and women entrepreneurs.

The Africa Investment Forum is an initiative of the African Development Bank and seven partner institutions: Africa 50, Africa Finance Corporation, Afreximbank, Development Bank of Southern Africa, European Investment Bank, Islamic Development Bank and Trade and Development Bank.

The Africa Investment Forum has been cooperating closely with the US Trade and Development Agency since the two entities jointly signed a memorandum of understanding in November 2021 to share deal flows. The agreement is expected to harness the US agency’s project preparation expertise and the Africa Investment Forum’s effectiveness at mobilizing capital.

For New Africa Daily News Richard Adorsu Reports,  Africa Correspondent

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Freetown, Sierra Leone- Ratified by the administration of Burkina Faso, the single-cross hybrid also suited the first of its kind to be approved in West and Central Africa (WCA). Nafagnon harvests as much as 45% loftier than popular variety Misari-1. It is more protected to downy mildew and has higher silage profit potential.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics’s (ICRISAT) Pearl Millet Breeding programme for West and Central Africa developed Nafagnon in Niger and the Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA) assessed it in Burkina Faso.

The hybrid’s name means beneficial milletin Bamanankan language. It also goes by ICRISAT Millet Hybrid (ICMH) 147007. Nafagnon grows up early in 80-85 days and has an earnings potential of about 3 tons per hectare; early maturity enables to withstand terminal drought difficulty.

It is a dual-purpose (grain and forage) hybrid resistant to downy mildew, the most dangerous pearl millet disease in WCA. The seed size, yield potential, stay-green and earliness of the hybrid are characteristics highly inclined toward by planters and end users in Burkina Faso, where low yield of pearl millet varieties relative to other grains is urging planters away from one of the best fitted crops for Sahel’s harsh agro-ecologies.

Nafagnon is a first generation mixture of two genetically distinct inbreds. Such hybrids are named single-cross hybrids. It was examined in main pearl millet producing nations of the region over the last three years.

The National Seed Committee of Burkina Faso declared Nafagnon’s enrollment in the National Seed Catalog, making it the nation’s first pearl millet hybrid to be ratified and the first single-cross hybrid to be endorsed in West and Central Africa.

“The first hybrid millets that were tested in West and Central Africa were bred in India. Unfortunately, they were too early maturing and susceptible to downy mildew disease. Learning lessons from those assessments, ICMH 147007 was developed, evaluated and selected in the WCA region,” said Dr. Gangashetty, millet breeder for ICRISAT-WCA,
Niger.

“It is well adapted to West African environmental conditions,” added Dr. Inoussa Drabo, pearl millet breeder at INERA, who led the evaluation of multiple hybrids and selection, and provided the necessary documentation for the release of Nafiagnon in Burkina Faso.

“Since the 1990s, researchers at national research institutes and research organizations such as the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) have been working to obtain millet hybrids,” explained Dr. Issoufou Kapran, Seed System Specialist at ICRISAT-Mali.

“The strong research for development partnership between ICRISAT and INERA has been benefiting smallholder farmers in Burkina Faso. Nafiagnon, the first hybrid, is another important contribution to improve the livelihood of farmers,” said Dr. Ramadjita Tabo, Regional and Research Programme Director for ICRISAT-WCA.

INERA’s approach to millet hybrid development and commercialization in Burkina Faso involves partnerships with farmers and the private sector. Nafiagnon was tested by more than 500 farmers and three seed companies – NAFASO, FAGRI and EPAM – were involved. “The evaluation of pearl millet hybrids in Burkina Faso was taken up under the AVISA Project,” said Dr. Neya James, national coordinator of the project that is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Ladji Sawadogo, a planter in the village of Balla that is about 40 km from Bobo Dioulasso, seeded Nafagnon along with the local assortment on the same day on one hectare of land.

“I am impressed by how fast hybrid plants grow. Its leaves remain green at maturity and the grains are well formed and filled on the panicles. Not only will my family have enough to eat, but animals will also have enough to feed,” the farmer explained.

Pursuing its acceptance in Burkina Faso, Nafiagnon will soon be comprised in the second seed list of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The hybrid resulted from the activities of HOPE-2 project, subsidized by the Gates Foundation, Harvest Plus, GIZ, CGIAR Research Program Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals, INERA, seed companies such as NAFASO, FAGRI and EPAM in Burkina Faso.

For New Africa Daily News Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports,  Africa Correspondent

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NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Accra- Although Africa currently trails other regions in terms of digital adoption and maturity, the pace of adoption and infrastructure buildout is happening faster on the continent than any other region in the world. This creates the opportunity to unlock enormous economic potential, according to a new report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in partnership with Casablanca Finance City.

“The COVID-19 crisis has also focused minds, accelerating digital adoption among consumers and digital transformation among companies,” says Jan Gildemeister, Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group, Johannesburg. “For success going forward, we believe that companies and governments need to coordinate on three fronts: creating scale, nurturing and attracting digital talent, and building ecosystems and innovation hubs to improve access to financing options, regulation and technology.”

To get to the stage where companies and governments are able to fully coordinate on these fronts, it is going to be critical to close the digital gaps that persist; arising from limited digital service penetration, a lack of digital skills, little trust in digital service providers, weak connectivity coverage and the high cost of data.

“For instance, only 40% of African consumers have 3G coverage compared to 72% worldwide and connection speeds and digital service quality in Africa are relatively inferior,” says Gildemeister.

These challenges extend to African companies too. Organizations across the continent have the lowest average digital maturity globally; driven by management’s struggle to narrow digital priorities, cultural resistance to adopting digital, insufficient digital capabilities and a lack of organizational agility.

However, there is a strong desire on the continent to bridge these gaps, and there is already some positive momentum. Infrastructure and demand are growing steadily and more rapidly than elsewhere in the world, and the lack of digital maturity actually offers an opportunity to leapfrog legacy technologies and business models – with the growth and popularity of mobile money a good example of the ability to leverage innovation. Companies are accelerating digital momentum as they recognize the correlation between digital maturity and performance, and the
pandemic has accelerated digital adoption and transformation both for consumers and companies.

“One industry where this shift is quite apparent is banking. Many African consumers have already adjusted their day-to-day banking behavior because of the pandemic. For example, 46% of surveyed South Africans said they are considering making a permanent shift to digital banking,” says Gildemeister.

To build on this momentum, it will be necessary to achieve scale both at the individual operations level of companies and governments, as well as at the broader market level for economic viability, profitability and sustainability.

It will also be important to attract and retain digital talent through specific employee value propositions (EVPs) for digital to address issues that really matter to digital talent, starting with learning and skills development programmes.

This will need to be matched by the building of digital ecosystems that nurture entrepreneurship and startups: currently, for instance, there are only 2,000 startups in South Africa, a low number for one of Africa’s main economic hubs.

Entrepreneurs and startups in the country are hampered by regulatory red tape, lack of access to funding and strategic partnerships, information inadequacy, complex intellectual property rights, and corporate governance limitations. Creating a strong ecosystem will require improving access to finance and markets, regulations that support innovation, the development of infrastructure and platforms at scale, and leveraging larger players that drive ongoing development.

“The private and public sectors must begin to coordinate more regularly and strategically to help build the scale necessary for digital models to succeed. It is vital to nurture and hang on to homegrown talent, and build ecosystems and innovation hubs to aid entrepreneurs and startups by improving financing options, regulation and technology. The digital leaders in Africa are already working on all these fronts with success, and the future is promising,” says Gildemeister.

For New Africa Daily News Richard Adorsu Reports,  Africa Correspondent

www.newafricadailynews.com

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Accra, Ghana- Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has launched the National Security Telecommunications Service (NSTS), an integrated communications platform aimed at enhancing sharing of information between Kenya’s security agencies.

“This will enhance co-ordination of security activities and operations, allow real-time information exchange, and allow our security agencies to better deal with emerging threats in the realms of cybercrime,” President Kenyatta said during the launch of NSTS at Embakasi Garrison in Nairobi County.

With the new integrated system, the President said the military, police, intelligence and other security services will be able to communicate more effectively at both intra-agency and inter-agency levels. He pointed out that the new technological development will enable security agencies to collaborate better and improve response times to public safety needs.

“This communication system is yet another strand in the golden thread of greater synergies and closer cooperation between Kenya’s security agencies; who now operate under a Multi-Agency framework,” the President said. Before the establishment of the new platform, each of the country’s security formations were using their own telecommunication network, an arrangement the President said led to duplication of infrastructure and made cross-agency communication difficult.

Speaking to staff of NSTS, the President said the new platform will help address the challenge of geographical penetration faced by some of the individual agency’s networks. He said NSTS will provide secure communications to the country’s foreign missions as well as security teams operating outside the country adding that the new agency was established in line with the Executive Order No. 4 of 2020.

President Kenyatta commended NSTS’s Board of Directors led by its Chairman, Chief of Defense Forces, General Robert Kibochi, for setting up the platform in a record six months.

“I would like to thank all our Security Agencies; the Kenya Defense Forces, the National Police Service, the National Intelligence Service, the Kenya Prisons Service, the Kenya Wildlife Service, the Kenya Forest Service, and the Kenya Coast Guard Services, as well as the National Government Administrative Offices for their cooperation on this mission,” the President said.

Defense CS Dr. Monica Juma, in whose docket the new agency rests, said NSTS will eliminate the risk of the country’s security being compromised due to the utilization of porous commercial communication networks.

“The actualization of the concept of National Security Telecommunication Services network is a key milestone in providing a synchronized communication network of security agencies that will enable them combat threats against our national security. This will enhance the safety of our nation and security of our people,” Dr. Juma said.

Chief of Defence Forces General Robert Kibochi noted that the new network is a critical milestone in the modernization of Kenya’s security sector saying the service will enhance the security and safety of the nation and its citizens.

“This telecommunication service will deliver secure communication for our security agencies, national government, administrative offices and our diplomatic missions abroad creating interconnectivity of voice, data and video conferencing,” General Kibochi said.

At the event also attended by Cabinet Secretaries Fred Matiang’i (Interior), Joe Mucheru (ICT) and Head of Public Service Dr. Joseph Kinyua among other senior Government officials, the President handed the new agency its founding instruments among them a certificate of incorporation and flag.

For New Africa Daily News Richard Adorsu Reports,  Africa Correspondent

www.newafricadailynews.com

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Accra, Ghana- Rwanda’s parliament approved the ratification of Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs) with five countries as it moves to revamp operations of national carrier RwandAir, whose growth plans have been severely hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This will help broaden business activities and permit designated airlines of contracting countries to operate commercial flights that cover the transport of passengers and cargo between Rwanda and those countries, said Claver Gatete, Rwanda’s Minister for Infrastructure.

Rwanda ratified agreements with Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Somalia and Tunisia, bringing the total number of BASAs ratified by parliament to 52. The country is also expected to sign agreements with South Korea and Malta.

Rwanda has so far invested over $2 billion to revamp its airline operations and recently signed a partnership with the Qatar government that will help the country develop its aviation sector.

“As landlocked country, we have no option of getting external trade opportunities without using air transport, and even supporting RwandAir to fly into different destinations promoting the country’s image and diplomacy,” Mr Gatete told parliament.

According to Yvonne Manzi Makolo, the chief executive officer of RwandAir, BASAs beneficial for the carrier will make it easier for the company to start new routes.

“Unfortunately, because of the pandemic barriers we will have to rebuild the entire network, to reopen the routes that are not yet reopened. But once this passes, we will go back to opening new routes,” said Makolo. With resumption of international flights in August, RwandAir now hopes to make for lost ground after suffering financially when all flights were suspended in mid-March to curb the spread of Covid-19.

“Rwanda is opening up and willing to cooperate. We will be able to take passengers from these countries, but also, they will be able to come easily,” said Frank Habineza, a member of Parliament.

In October, Rwanda became the 13th African country to ratify the revised African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) constitution that seeks to promote coordination, better utilization and orderly development of African air transport systems.
The revised AFCAC constitution considers as important the Yamoussoukro Decision for liberalization of air transport in Africa.

The Yamoussoukro Decision is an agreement among the 44 African states which allows the multilateral exchange of up to a fifth freedom air traffic rights between African Yamoussoukro Decision Party States using a simple notification procedure.

For New Africa Daily News Richard Adorsu Reports,  Africa Correspondent

www.newafricadailynews.com

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Accra, Ghana- Number of automation projects are being considered at Gold Fields’ South Deep, the bulk mechanized underground gold mine in Gauteng, south-west of Johannesburg. After reporting 7% higher overall group year-on-year production of 557 000 oz for the three months to September 30, Gold Fields CEO Nick Holland said of South Deep, which has one of the world’s largest gold deposits: “South Deep has had a tremendous recovery in quarter three. We showed very good results.” South Deep’s production was up to 65 000 oz with all-in costs at just over $1 000/oz. “With an operation now that’s looking really competitive in our group,” Holland said.

South Deep, which has a mineral reserve of 38-million ounces, the equivalent to close to 100 000 gold bullion bars, has a current life-of-mine of 75 years.

On automation progress at the underground South Deep, Holland said in response to Mining Weekly: “I think the most important advance is the control room we have, whereby we’re getting more real-time information about what’s happening across the value chain.

“We’re looking at remote loaders underground that will be operated from surface and that project is still trialing. Impact breakers underground are being monitored from surface and we’re also looking to have sensors on all of our equipment so we can monitor where they are and their condition. Those are the main subject areas that we’re working on at the moment, but it’s very much an incremental approach across the value chain,” said Holland.

On whether South Deep was lagging Gold Fields operations in countries such as Australia, Holland said: “I don’t think we’re necessarily behind. It’s more a function of some of the  original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) having not yet released some of the latest prototypes to South Africa, like battery electric vehicles.

“We want to try the battery electric vehicle underground, but the OEMs have not yet released the prototypes to South Africa. They will do it in the next 18 months, whereas in other countries they have released it. So, we’re very much in the hands of the suppliers. We know what to do, we’re in touch with people, we travel to the countries where this technology exists. So, we know what’s there and we have a clear roadmap to put it in place over time.”

On South Deep’s upcoming 40 MW solar energy installation potentially accommodating a green hydrogen element, Holland said there was a wait-and-see on the possibility of green hydrogen. “Let’s get it working first. The idea is to reduce our reliance on Eskom and we believe that if you look at the average usage, we could be able to reduce our Eskom usage by maybe 15% to 20%.

That will already be a massive boost for us. We do need a base load to keep the mine cooling, refrigeration and ventilation going and running the shaft system, so there’s quite a lot of power that’s going to be dedicated to that anyway.

“The first and most important step is to reduce the reliance on Eskom. If we bring down the costs, we can reduce the security risk on energy,” Holland said. South Deep now expects the long-awaited official approval for solar power project to go into the first quarter of next year. At night the operation will default back to the national electricity grid.

“All the indications are that it’s in process. You’ve heard that the government and our sector Minister, in particular, are putting their full support behind it. The country needs it, so I’m hoping we’ll have the approval soon and we can give you the good news.

“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t get the approval. It’s just a process we’re working through,” Holland emphasized.

Approval, which must be granted by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, was earlier expected before year-end. Johannesburg and New York-listed Gold Fields first applied for permission to build the solar plant three years ago, during which time it succeeded in building and commissioning the 23 MW renewables plant at its Agnew gold mine, in Australia, where it is continuing to look into solar renewable power with battery enablers for other operations.

The group is able to learn from its $150-million blueprint microgrid experience at Agnew and implement that further at its other mines.

For New Africa Daily News Richard Adorsu Reports,  Africa Correspondent

www.newafricadailynews.com