Thabiso Sekano, Head of Mining and Metals at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South Africa, will join African Mining Week (AMW) as a featured speaker on the high-level panel, The Investor Perspective – Financing Africa’s Mineral Industrialization. He is expected to share insights into innovative financing mechanisms that are accelerating project development across Africa’s mining and energy value chains.
Sekano will highlight the IDC’s instrumental role in advancing South Africa’s mining sector, particularly its platinum group metals (PGMs), which represent over 70% of global reserves. Among the IDC’s recent investments, in June 2025, the agency approved R622 million in funding to Canadian firm Theta Gold Mines to develop multiple sites under the TGME Project in Mpumalanga Province. This seven-year facility is expected to extract 1.24 million ounces of gold, creating jobs and contributing to national revenue growth.
AMW serves as a premier platform for exploring the full spectrum of mining opportunities across Africa. The event is held alongside the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2025 conference from October 1-3 in Cape Town. Sponsors, exhibitors and delegates can learn more by contacting sales@energycapitalpower.com.
In April 2025, the IDC approved a further R1.6 billion facility to support the operational stability of ArcelorMittal South Africa, helping preserve jobs and strengthen South Africa’s position as a top global steel producer. Beyond South Africa, Sekano will spotlight the IDC’s growing regional footprint. The corporation is considering a $16 million loan to Giyani Metals to advance the K.Hill manganese project in Botswana – an important development aimed at boosting supply chains for lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles.
As African governments increasingly focus on formalizing small-scale mining and empowering junior miners, AMW will also offer a platform for Sekano to discuss the IDC’s initiatives targeting these groups. In 2024, the IDC launched a R400 million Junior Mining Exploration Fund in collaboration with South Africa’s Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources and the Council for Geoscience, aimed at addressing funding constraints that limit entry and scale-up of junior mining companies.
In addition, the IDC is driving synergies between the mining and energy sectors to foster energy resilience and decarbonization. In June 2025, it announced that four utility-scale energy projects it financed are now delivering a combined 219 MW to the national grid – powering mining operations and creating 442 annualized jobs. The agency also signed a EUR 17 million agreement with Germany’s KfW to support green hydrogen projects in South Africa, further enhancing the role of PGMs in electrolyzer technology. In March 2025, the IDC raised R2 billion through a sustainable bond issuance to scale up investments across both mining and energy.
At AMW 2025, Sekano will unpack these developments and more, reinforcing the IDC’s commitment to sustainable, inclusive growth in Africa’s extractive and energy sectors.
Africa Fact: Bling culture has a long and interesting history. Gold was used to decorate ancient Sudanese temples. One writer reported that: “Recent excavations at Meroe and Mussawwarat es-Sufra revealed temples with walls and statues covered with gold leaf”.
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Fun South African Fact: Travel to Tsitsikamma, on the border of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape to visit the world’s highest commercial bungee jump! Those who are brave enough can take the 216-meter jump off the Bloukrans Bridge and soar through the air towards the Bloukrans River below. Definitely a must for thrill-seekers and adrenaline-junkies!