H.E. Berenice Owen-Jones, Australian High Commissioner to Ghana. Credit : Australian High Commission
The growth of terrorism in the Sahel, violent extremism, political instability, complex geopolitics and new emerging threats present significant challenges for the mining sector, Australia’s High Commissioner to Ghana has said.
Speaking at the opening of the fifth West Africa Mining Security Conference in Accra on Tuesday, H.E. Berenice Owen-Jones warned that deteriorating security in the region could put lives at risk and deter investment in the resource sector.
“The mining sector, with its fixed assets and high visibility, is particularly exposed,” she said. “Deteriorating security in parts of West Africa has the potential to threaten the lives of both foreign and local workers in the resource sector and undermine the prospects for new investment.”
Australia has an estimated $20 to $30 billion worth of mining investment across West Africa, where companies such as AngloGold Ashanti, Rio Tinto, Geodrill and Perseus Mining operate.
“Australian companies are active across the sub-region, and many have invested here for decades,” H.E. Owen-Jones said. Noting that, “They contribute not only to sustainable economic growth, but also to regional stability through job creation, skills transfer, and investment in and engagement with local communities.”
The envoy stressed that no single actor could confront the security risks alone. “These are not challenges for the sector to confront alone. They require collaboration – between states, communities, security providers, and industry,” she said.
The two-day conference, organised by the Australian High Commission in partnership with the Australia-Africa Minerals and Energy Group and MS Risk Limited, brought together diplomats, security experts, academics and mining executives from across the region.