The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Mandela Mining Precinct (MMP) will showcase technologies that have been developed to improve mining efficiencies at the 2024 Investing in African Mining Indaba.

Under the theme 'Embracing the power of positive disruption: A bold new future for African mining', the Indaba is aimed at inspiring and facilitating the changes and disruptions necessary for advancing the African mining industry.

It will be held from February 5 to 8 at Cape Town International Convention Centre, and offers opportunities for connecting and opening doors, as well as for collaboration.

The CSIR and MMP will showcase tailor-made capabilities and research outcomes designed for the modernisation of mining, emphasise the commitment to safety and security in the mining sector and position themselves as innovation partners and research facilitators for the mining industry.

Further, in line with the conference theme, the DSI and its entities will focus on the subtheme 'Accelerating innovation: Shaping the future of mining together' by presenting locally developed innovations in the mining industry.

Experts from the DSI-led partnership will also participate in various panel discussions, including automation in the African context, academia's response to the exponential rate of technological advancement and, one of the most topical subjects in the sector, the impact of technology in advancing health and safety while maintaining productivity.

Additionally, the partner organisations will exhibit an array of technologies aimed at driving and unlocking innovation in the mining industry, including virtual reality for competency-based training, trackless mobile machinery capability, technology to minimise the ecological footprint of acid mine drainage, cybersecurity ranges, the Cmore situational awareness and decision-support technology, the Integrated Thermal Acoustic Device, the Isidingo Drill, and technologies for additive manufacturing, laser-based refurbishment and remote charging.

Guidelines relating to community engagement and the change management processes needed for technology adoption and innovation uptake will also be showcased, the CSIR said.