Ebola and Mining: The need for action – by BEn Hagemann (Australian Mining – September 5, 2014)

http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/home

The African continent is rich in mineral reserves, and a great deal of interest has been generated in Australian companies wishing to invest, explore and mine there.

Interest in the prospect of investing in Africa has grown over the past five years to a reported $686 billion worth of discoveries across the continent with Australian involvement.

The Africa Downunder Conference in Perth focussed on the upturn in sentiment for investment there, however a discussion about the recent Ebola outbreak in western Africa highlighted one of the key concerns in terms of making positive investments in the region: Stability.

Dr David Heymann, director and head of global health security at the British policy think tank Chatham House, addressed the Perth conference on the subject of Ebola with some positive, albeit grisly news.

Heymann said that a robust response was needed to prevent the spread of the disease, and despite the difficulties with a wide area distribution through Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, he was “fairly certain that it will be contained and it will stop spreading.”

“It’s too virulent, it kills people too rapidly and it’s very easy then to get rid of,” he said.

The Ebola outbreak in western Africa has caused a number of mining operations to suspend production and evacuate staff, however six companies have been involved in the emerging infectious diseases risk mitigation project (IDRAM) funded by USAID.

These companies include Freeport McMoRan Inc., (Tenke Fungurume Mine), the Hong Kong-listed, but Melbourne-headquartered, MMG Limited (Kinsevere Mine), and Australia’s Mawson West Limited (Dikulushi Mine) and Tiger Resources Limited (Kipoi Mine).

Field work on the IDRAM Initiative started in May 2014 and was coordinated by the International SOS group, which provided the interface between mining companies, provincial health authorities, the University of Lubumbashi and medical teams, to test a specially developed tool kit to help counter tropical disease such as Ebola and their threat to mining-based communities.

The African-Australian Mining Industry Group chairman Bill Turner said infectious disease risks in Africa posed unique legal and logistical challenges to Australian companies and their directors, in providing a safe and healthy workplace.

“A recent briefing note provided by Clayton Utz, tells us that possible contraction by staff of the Ebola virus is a reasonably foreseeable risk for many, although particular circumstances will significantly affect the likelihood of that occurring,” Turner said, in a joint statement with conference convenor Bill Repard.

“Even where the risk may be remote for a particular operation, the consequences are almost always catastrophic.

For the rest of this article, click here: http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/features/ebola-and-mining-the-need-for-action