With increasing levels of opportunity within the infrastructure development space, solutions-driven infrastructure development firm Bigen Group’s strategy focuses on expanding into the rest of the African continent to participate in these projects.

Accordingly, Bigen has developed a strategy that focuses on localisation, which saw regional offices being established in Kenya, Botswana, Namibia and Ghana so that the company taps into these markets through an increased focus on providing professional services, while also identifying investment opportunities.

“Our strategy is also partnering with local firms and private companies to deliver world class infrastructure to the rest of the continent. Our aim is to grow our already expanding footprint on the continent and to further expand within these markets by offering clients our services and experience,” the company explains, adding that it “aims to do good, while doing business”.

Together with local partners, Bigen intends for its brand to grow into an African brand that is “synonymous with successful projects and growth”.

“We believe in African solutions, for Africa, by Africans.”

The company emphasises the importance of this approach considering current global economic conditions, especially as there is “almost no organisation that can ignore or remain unaffected by [prevailing adverse conditions]”.

Bigen, it says, “is no different” and the global economy and its associated conditions have continued to challenge the company in the infrastructure space, especially when dependent on governments to foot the bill for projects.

“With inflation on the rise, cost of materials needed for such projects rises, governments’ ability to fund these projects become challenged and all the while pressure continues to mount for more infrastructure to meet demand. To further exacerbate this, payment issues challenge our liquidity as is also the case with many of our counterparts in the industry” the company says.

As such, with this year’s Mining Indaba conference and exhibition, Bigen’s objectives are to interact with the industry, learn about developments in the mining space, specifically, as well as network with other consultants and industry leaders.

“Specifically relating to the theme of 2023, we are interested about learning and sharing our experience with projects that encounter challenges around security of supply of raw minerals considering the many challenges in South Africa and Africa relating to poor infrastructure.  We are particularly interested in assisting in improving the efficiencies of long-distance transport considering our general disadvantage to others in terms of narrow-gauge railways, relative low axle loading and taxation challenges,” the company comments.

“We are also looking at innovative funding methods to use take-off agreements as measures of payback and reinvesting in infrastructure thus obviating the need for direct investment,” the company concludes.

The theme of this year’s Mining Indaba is ‘Unlocking African mining investment: Stability, security, and supply”.