South Sudan’s Ministry of Mining and South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy signed a MoU for collaboration in the mining sector. The MoU will see increased cooperation in exploration, the transfer of knowledge and capacity building.
The MoU was signed last week in Cape Town and serves as an important milestone for South Sudan to develop its immense endowment of critical minerals including copper, lithium and manganese.
As South Sudan advances the development of its minerals sector, the country’s mining industry emerges as a key pillar for diversified growth. The South Sudan Oil & Power 2024 conference in Juba includes, for the first time, the South Sudan Mining Forum, in the second quarter of 2024. In November, South Sudan will be a feature country at the Critical Minerals Africa summit in Cape Town. Organizer Energy Capital & Power invites all investors and participants in South Sudan’s mining sector to register for these events.
In an interview with Energy Capital & Power, South Sudan’s Minister of Mining Martin Abucha cited South Africa’s experience in mining as an advantage to supporting the country’s burgeoning mining sector.
“The MoU we signed encompasses many things, including exploration,” Minister Abucha stated, adding, “It includes resource sharing, sharing expertise, transfer of knowledge and building our capacity in many ways.”
The Minister called on international investors to participate in South Sudan’s mining industry, inviting private-sector players to engage with the ministry in exploring potential opportunities.
“South Sudan is endowed with many resources,” Minister Abucha stated, adding, “We have copper, we have gold, we have lithium, we have manganese and many other critical minerals for the energy transition. We have the potential in many areas.”
During the interview, the Minister also highlighted favorable and transparent regulatory frameworks as a benefit to investors seeking to participate in exploration and production activities in South Sudan.
“We are working on amending [our regulatory framework] now to make it even more friendly, more suitable for everyone,” Minister Abucha said.
The Minister added that further announcements to the country’s mining sector – which include development of a geological laboratory and the set-up of a mining chamber – will be made later this year. The chamber will assist the Ministry in organizing South Sudan’s mining sector, while the laboratory’s primary objective will be to facilitate geological survey work.