RIYADH — Under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, the 2nd Future Minerals Forum is scheduled to be held between Jan. 10-12, 2023 at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, with the participation of more than 200 speakers from across the world.

The conference discusses a number of topics in the mining sector, including global economic and environmental developments affecting the region’s mineral industry, environmental and social practices in terms of competition and equal opportunities.

It will also discuss the role of Saudi Arabia and its global leadership in renewable energy supply, the shape of the future mining company, the matching of supply and demand and the role of the region in bridging the gap.

At a press conference held Wednesday at the Saudi Press Agency Conference Centre in Riyadh to announce details of the 2nd edition of the Future Mining Forum, Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Mining Affairs Eng. Khalid Al-Mudaifer noted that the Conference is a comprehensive international platform providing an opportunity for investors, mining companies and mining stakeholders worldwide to meet and learn about the potential and opportunities of the mining sector.

He also stated that the conference will talk about the emerging mining area, talk about how to build a sustainable mining industry, and learn about the enormous geological potential of targeted areas, pointing out that Saudi Arabia seeks to lead the contribution to the development of the distinguished mining zone extending between Africa and Central and Western Asia.

He said that the high turnout for registration to attend the conference from mining professionals and interested people in mining affairs, after the success of the first edition last year, reflects Saudi Arabia’s great role in developing the mining sector in the region, launching constructive dialogue among those involved in the sector and achieving fruitful cooperation among countries in this area.

He pointed out that there is a global consensus that expects an increasing demand for minerals in general and strategic minerals in particular due to the growth in migration to urban centers, the increase in the population and global economic growth, and most importantly the significant increase in demand thanks to the shift to renewable energy and electric vehicles and countries’ plans to achieve zero emissions, which will generate record demand for strategic metals to utilize wind energy and solar energy, electric vehicle production, and construction and storage of renewable energy generation projects.

He added that based on global outlook in the demand for minerals, Saudi Arabia’s mining strategy and initiatives focused on the minerals required for the transition of energy and the development of electric vehicles, and on leveraging global knowledge and expertise in mining and the advanced mineral industry, as the Kingdom prepares to meet global future demand for minerals.

He stressed that the Kingdom is a major source of growing future demand for minerals and value chains, given its entry into promising industries such as modern military industries, electronics industries, electric car industry, as well as the construction of smart and sustainable cities such as NEOM, the Red Sea and other mega projects.

At the regional level, especially in the region extending between Africa and West and Central Asia, he said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies a central geographical position in this region, giving it an advantage to share its experiences and mining expertise with all the countries of this region.

The second annual ministerial meeting is scheduled to be held on Jan. 10 with the participation of 60 countries represented by 40 ministers and 18 high-level officials, in addition to the presence of 10 regional and international organizations, to discuss a range of pressing topics, including the region’s development and increased contributions to value chains and supply of critical minerals.

The meeting will discuss promoting responsible and sustainable mining and increasing the value of the region’s mineral wealth through increased transparency and developing the region into an integrated green mineral production center, as well as discussing the development of international cooperation to establish centers of excellence in the region to increase its contributions to the supply of future minerals.

The list of countries participating in the ministerial meeting includes, along with Saudi Arabia as the organizing country, Ethiopia, Azerbaijan, Argentina, Jordan, Australia, Germany, UAE, Angola, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Burundi, Chad, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Djibouti, Gabon, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, China, Iraq, Oman, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Zambia, Tajikistan, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Finland, France, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Vietnam, South Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kuwait, Kenya, Mali, Egypt, Morocco, United Kingdom, Mongolia, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, India and Japan.

This year, the conference sees the allocation of an area to showcase the latest current and future mining technologies, as well as an outdoor exhibition area and a dedicated area to display investment opportunities in Africa, and West and Central Asia, as promising mining zones capable of contributing to closing the gaps in future demand for minerals.

The conference will also see the signing of partnership agreements and cooperation memorandums, in addition to the Saudi pavilion, which comes under the umbrella of “Invest in Saudi “, which brings together many government agencies to provide information on the latest investment opportunities in the Kingdom. — SPA