The African development bank, SADC secretariat, and DMT group to deliver an investment programme for creation of regional value chains in copper, battery storage, and mining inputs

The SADC ‚Regional Study and Project Viability Scan‘ will identify investment opportunities for building local content capacity in three critical areas for economic activity and value addition in southern Africa. The project’s findings are intended to spur a rush of new investment activity.

The project is led by DMT GROUP, a globally active engineering services and consulting company. DMT’s Kai Batla subsidiary is one of the leading specialists on the African continent focussing on the supply of geological consulting and recruitment services for the mining and exploration market, mineral resource development and investments. The SADC project will be led with the support of a range of sector experts, including Professor Hudson Mtegha, a former Chief Mining Engineer with the Government of Malawi, and the very first person in Malawi to qualify as a mining engineer.

Since November 2021 and up to July 2022, DMT will lead a five-phase programme, before submitting a final report to the SADC Industrial Development Forum and to the SADC Ministerial Task Force.

Sodhie Naicker, Managing Director of DMT South Africa, said: "DMT is perfectly positioned to lead this project, drawing on the most pertinent experience from specialists across our network. We are proud to be leading this game changing project with our partners at the SADC Secretariat. Our initial studies already reveal that market potential for improving local content and regional primacy in these sectors is extraordinary, and it will be fascinating to begin identifying the projects that have the potential to reshape the entire economic model for raw materials in Southern Africa."

Ahead of the final report, DMT will deliver a detailed roadmap, value chain mapping and analysis for priority sectors, a project identification phase in consultation with regional stakeholders, and a project viability scan of prioritised value chain projects, making recommendations for alternative financing mechanisms, and promotion strategies.