Having been active in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the 1990s, SRK Consulting’s work in the country has diversified considerably – especially since it established its country office in Lubumbashi fifteen years ago in 2010.
Celebrating this milestone ahead of the upcoming DRC Mining Week in June, SRK Consulting Congo chairman Dominique Sambwa notes that the formal collaboration between SRK Consulting Congo and their colleagues in South Africa (SA) and China continues to assist the growing number of mining clients who are China-based.
“We value the contribution made by SRK to the local mining industry by always applying the quality principles and standards through our experienced professionals and network of experts,” said Sambwa. “We initially focused on services in the fields of exploration and geology, which rapidly expanded into geotechnical and hydrogeology works, as well as environmental and social assessments and permitting.”
Today, SRK’s work in the DRC extends into fields such as exploration, mine planning, technical studies, infrastructure development, waste management, water stewardship, mine closure, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) work, according to Wouter Jordaan, partner and principal environmental scientist in SRK Consulting SA – also a director of SRK Congo.
“Our success in doing this stems from our multidisciplinary approach and capability,” said Jordaan. “As mining becomes guided and governed by a growing range of standards and regulations, it is important for professionals to work collaboratively in integrated teams.”
An example of this in the DRC is the field of environmental monitoring, where SRK Consulting works with mines to better understand their impacts on the local environment over time – to ensure closer and more effective management of those impacts.
“With a comprehensive understanding of complex water related issues in the DRC, we are at the forefront of applying water stewardship principles in the country, to protect water resources in catchments where mines have individual and cumulative impacts,” he explained.
Local expertise
Importantly, a core value of the business focused on drawing in exceptional professionals while deliberately developing expertise and experience at local level. According to Vis Reddy, chairman of SRK Consulting South Africa (SA), this was no different in the DRC. Reddy is also SRK’s global lead for Africa.
“The fact that it was a relatively small office did not mean that there is any compromise in the quality of work to which this practice is held,” he said. “The standards expected across SRK Consulting practices are equally high, irrespective of which office the work comes from.”
As part of sharing knowledge and building capability, the company engages in regular workshops and mentoring – enhanced by involving SRK’s global experts in specialised fields. Today, SRK Consulting Congo is majority locally owned and delivers a range of services through local professionals.
Evolving standards
He highlighted how the privatisation of the DRC’s mining sector in the early 2000s brought in not only exploration and mining companies, but international financial institutions who applied stringent standards.
“The world’s leading financiers – then as now – would want to protect their loans and investments by insisting on the highest standards of due diligence, valuations, geological studies, resource and reserve estimations, mining engineering and other aspects of mining projects,” explained Reddy. “SRK Consulting has been able to play an important role in this landscape, by working with clients to meet the demanding but necessary strictures of responsible mining and effective risk mitigation,” he said.
From the early 2000s up to 2010, for example, the company became increasingly involved in environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs), working in accordance with benchmarks like the Equator Principles and the International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standards.
SRK is also a pioneer in terms of helping clients meet the DRC’s requirements for local social development – being involved in the country’s first approved ‘Cahier des Charges’.
On the ground at DRC Mining Week
SRK Consulting Congo will be exhibiting again at the DRC Mining Week in Lubumbashi in June, with its local professionals joined on their stand number E5 by SRK colleagues from South Africa and China. Sambwa noted that the event is an important opportunity to network with industry players.
“With mining in the DRC growing so fast, we value any forum that allows us to stay close to participants and developments in the sector,” he said. “We feel we have contributed a great deal to our clients’ progress here to date, and are confident that we still have much to offer – not only in projects themselves but in developing the broader foundation of expertise to mining to flourish.”
