The Junior Indaba 2026 begins with one of the sector’s most pressing questions: where are the best opportunities for junior mining in Africa today? Opening the programme, mining chamber leaders from Botswana, Angola and Zambia will offer regional insight into the jurisdictions, policies and project environments shaping Africa’s junior mining future.
Presented by Resources 4 Africa and chaired by Bernard Swanepoel, the Junior Indaba has become a key platform for frank discussion on exploration, project development, policy, investment and the practical realities facing junior miners.
This year’s opening panel features Charles Siwawa, CEO of the Botswana Chamber of Mines; José Sumbula da Silva Calamba, Vice President of the Chamber of Mines of Angola; and Sokwani Chilembo, CEO of the Zambia Chamber of Mines, and is chaired by Minerals Council South Africa CEO Mzila Mthenjane.
The discussion will examine which African regions offer the strongest geological potential, who is actively exploring and developing projects in these jurisdictions, and what governments are doing to create more investor-friendly environments for junior miners.
It will also address the challenges that continue to shape the operating landscape for juniors across Africa, including policy uncertainty, infrastructure constraints, energy insecurity, access to capital, skills shortages and complex supply chains.
Bernard Swanepoel, Chair of the Junior Indaba, says the decision to lead with this regional discussion reflects the growing importance of African jurisdictions in the global minerals conversation: “Junior mining is increasingly an African growth story. Botswana, Angola and Zambia each offer different lessons in geology, policy, investment and execution, and it is important that we hear directly from the people closest to those markets. The Junior Indaba has always been about honest, practical engagement, and this opening discussion sets the tone for the two days.”
The 2026 programme features more than 40 CEOs and senior representatives from mining companies, government, investment institutions, legal and advisory firms, industry bodies and technology specialists. Together, they will explore what investors are looking for, how to unlock exploration capital, what it takes to build successful junior mining companies, and how South Africa can create a more enabling environment for exploration and development.
Other key discussions will examine geopolitical disruption, commodity market trends, critical minerals and metals, technology in exploration, illegal and small-scale mining, and the role of junior miners in strengthening Africa’s position in global supply chains.
The event will also showcase junior mining companies operating in South Africa, Cameroon, Tanzania, Madagascar, Angola and Namibia, giving investors and industry stakeholders direct insight into emerging projects across the continent.
Highlights include presentations on Cameroon’s central rutile project, a gold discovery in Namibia, and Frontier Rare Earths’ Zandkopsdrift project, described as a low-cost new source of magnet rare earths and battery-grade manganese sulphate.
The event is supported by leading sponsors and industry partners including DRA Global and ENS as Lead Sponsors, Minerals Council South Africa as Mining Industry Partner, and Bara Consulting, Council for Geoscience, Fraser McGill, Junior Mining Council and The SSC Group as Networking Sponsors.
The 12th edition of the annual Junior Indaba takes place on 9 and 10 June 2026 at the Country Club Johannesburg, Auckland Park. Seats for the in-person event are limited, with virtual access also available. To view the agenda, speaker line-up or register for the 2026 Junior Indaba, visit the Junior Indaba website.
