What’s hot at Mining Indaba 2025?

The four-day African mining-focused event will include presentations from mining experts, delegates and influential policymakers.

What's cooking at the Indaba conference this year? Pic: Getty Images

• The 31st edition of the Indaba conference runs from February 3–6 in Cape Town

• Uranium explorer Aura Energy will be front and centre, highlighting its Tiris asset

• Copper hunter Belararox and goldie Many Peaks Minerals will also be in attendance

This year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba conference sees a stellar lineup of mining experts, investors, delegates and policymakers flocking to Cape Town, South Africa, for four-days of deal-making, knowledge sharing and networking.

From February 3-6, the renowned mining conference brings the who’s who of Africa’s mining scene together to discuss the latest trends shaping the industry – from Barrick Gold boss Mark Bristow to head of Rio Tinto’s minerals division Sinead Kaufman and Glencore DRC president Marie-Chantal Kaninda.

The program also includes the 121-investor forum – previously a competing side event to the main conference – and is typically a must attend for any ASX-listed miner or explorer with a project on the African continent.

With gold futures smashing through all-time highs last week, copper remaining at the top of the wish list for miners and analysts tipping a market deficit for uranium which could lead to higher prices to bring on new supply over the long term, the timing of this year’s Indaba conference couldn’t be better.

ASX yellowcake hunters

Africa has some of the world’s highest concentrates of uranium, with Niger, Namibia and South Africa creating up to 18% of the world’s annual production.

Although the continent is often tainted with geopolitical risk, the pros of working in the country include the reality that it is largely under-explored, as well as the quicker permitting process from start to finish to get projects into development.

One example of a near-term uranium producer is Aura Energy (ASX:AEE), the developers of the Tiris uranium asset in Mauritania which made the cut as one of Argonaut’s top undeveloped projects.

The International Trade Administration recently noted Mauritania’s largely untapped mineral terrain and strategic vision combine for an enticing frontier for investment.

A recent 49% uplift to 33.9Mlb of uranium underpinned Aura’s development plans, with an upgraded reserve covering 64% of the production target further reducing the risk.

AEE managing director Andrew Grove told Stockhead he was looking forward to supporting the Mauritanian government and mining industry at Indaba this year.

“We can’t wait to highlight to investors the benefits of Mauritania as an investment jurisdiction and the potential of our project,” Grove said.

“We believe the uranium market is strong, there’s renewed interest and activity within Africa resulting in a number of uranium mines restarting and the amount of new projects being developed.”

Over in Tanzania, Moab Minerals (ASX:MOM) recently expanded its landholding at the Mayoni uranium asset after purchasing four prospecting licences from Auking Mining (ASX:AKN) at a cost of $175,000 in October last year.

The deal represents the consolidation of all the Manyoni uranium deposits for the first time in over 10 years.

Other African-based uranium explorers include longstanding Elevate Uranium (ASX:EL8), a company that has assembled the largest land position for nuclear fuels in Namibia.

The company’s project portfolio includes the 58Mlbs Koppies asset, where pre-development activities are underway, as well as the 61Mlb Marenica uranium project in the Erongo region.

Star Minerals (ASX:SMS) is also in the area after gaining shareholder approval for earn-in and exploration rights at the Cobra uranium project in Namibia, which boasts a foreign resource estimate of 15.6Mt at 260ppm U3O8 for 9M lb U3O8.

Gold and copper companies

On the copper front, Belararox (ASX:BRX) managing director Arvind Misra will provide Indaba investors with an update to the company's latest  exploration plans at the Kalahari copper project in Botswana.

BRX has put in place a staged exploration strategy to explore the tenements in the KCB based on successful exploration activities within this belt by Sandfire Resources (ASX:SFR) , Cobre (ASX:CBE) and MMG Limited’s Khoemacau discovery.

The proposed exploration activities will be covered in three main phases including target generation, target definition and target testing by drilling.

And Many Peaks Minerals (ASX:MPK) will outline its strategy towards establishing maiden resource estimations in West Africa’s world-class terrain of Côte d’Ivoire.

Recent auger results at the Ferké gold project identified multiple targets for extension of gold mineralisation with results include 340m wide and 650m wide gold anomalies.

The company is also currently advancing a diamond drilling campaign at Ferké, focusing on better defining the geologic controls to high-grade gold intercepted in previous drilling, which included 45.3m at 3.16g/t gold from 45.9m.

At Stockhead we tell it like it is. While Aura Energy, Elevate Uranium, Moab Minerals, Star Minerals, Belararox and Star Minerals are Stockhead advertisers, they did not sponsor this article.