Redpath Africa Operations Executive Pieter Oosthuysen argues that Africa’s mining growth depends on building local technical capability and systems, not just sinking new shafts into high-grade orebodies. He points to integrating digital mine planning tools with mechanised development fleets and rigorous safety management to lift productivity in deep, labour-intensive operations common across the continent. For geotechnical and mining teams, the message is a shift towards long-term skills development, data-driven decision-making and closer OEM–contractor collaboration on complex underground projects.

Dyno Nobel has prototyped a fully autonomous, end-to-end blasthole inspection and loading system that removes personnel from the drill and blast bench, one of mining’s last highly manual and safety‑critical activities. Developed over five years of intensive R&D and unveiled to investors in New York, the technology autonomously orchestrates hole condition inspection, explosives loading and initiation sequencing. For mine operators, this points to tighter control of powder factors and timing, more consistent bench conditions, and reduced exposure of crews around loaded patterns.

Delta Lithium is preparing to drill six new reconnaissance lithium targets across its 2325km² Yinnetharra tenure in Western Australia, following surface mapping and geochemical sampling. The company plans first-pass drilling in Q4 2026 while ongoing work at the nearby Mt Ida project continues to refine the pegmatite geometry and broader geological model. For geologists and drill planners, the expanded target pipeline signals a shift from regional geochem to drill-ready prospects, with potential for multiple spodumene-bearing pegmatite corridors if early holes confirm continuity.