Randgold Resources Limited CEO Dr Mark Bristow was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the DRC Mining Industry Awards during a sold-out gala dinner ceremony on Thursday evening in Kinshasa. Randgold scored a double win at the awards by also winning as the industry’s Best Performer in Occupational Health and Safety.

Tenke Fungurume Mining won two awards as well: as Mining Company of the Year and for Best Performer in Environmental Management. Soraya Aziz Souleymane, former deputy director of The Carter Centre was named Mining Woman of the Year, a new award category this year.

The DRC Mining Industry Awards took place for the second time to celebrate the top people and projects in the sector and forms part of the annual iPAD DRC Mining & Infrastructure Indaba that took place in the DRC capital this week.

The DRC Mining Industry Awards winners and finalists per category are:

Lifetime Achievement Award

Winner: Dr Mark Bristow, CEO, Randgold Resources Limited

Dr Bristow has been the CEO since the incorporation in 1995 of Randgold Resources, which was founded on his pioneering exploration work in West Africa. He has subsequently led the company’s growth through the discovery and development of

world class assets into a major international gold mining business. He has also played a significant part in promoting the emergence of a sustainable mining industry in Africa, and has spearheaded a number of industry initiatives, including the campaign against

Ebola. Under Mark’s leadership, Randgold has also been awarded DRC’s Corporate Social Responsibility trophy of excellence.

Finalists:

Arnold Kondrat, FONDATEUR & Executive Vice-President, Banro Corporation

David Edwards, Geology Manager, Kamoa Copper Project, Ivanhoe Mines

Gustave Nzeng, Chairman, Kamoto Copper Company

Guy Nzuru, General Manager, Ivanhoe Mines

Jean Felix Mupande, Directeur Général, Cadastre Minier

Jean-Jacques Kayembe, Ingénieur Civil & Expert Technique Responsible, ITIE-RDC

Louis Watum, Executive Director, Ivanhoe Mines

Paul Mabolia Yenga, Co-ordinator, Promines

Simon Tuma-Waku, Vice President, Federation of Congolese Enterprises

Best Performer in Environmental Management

Winner: Tenke Fungurume Mining

Key environmental issues addressed by the project include mitigation of damage to sensitive indigenous flora unique to highly mineralised areas of the DRC copper belt, design of the project to zero discharge objectives, and adoption of fully plastic lined process water and tailings storage impoundments. The environmental program at TFM aims to reduce or eliminate negative impacts and support biodiversity programs. TFM has invested more than US $50 million in environmental protection.

Finalists:

Banro Corporation

Ivanhoe Mines

MMG Limited

Randgold Resources

Tiger Resources Limited

Best Performer in Occupational Health and Safety

Winner:  Randgold Resources

As part of Randgold Resources sustainability policies, they provide free basic medical services to employees, their immediate family and to community members within a 10km radius of each of their mines. Safety is seen as a continuous and constant programme of work and every day employees meet for morning sessions on safety, engage in regular safety training, check personal protective equipment and are encouraged to speak out should they see any risks not being dealt with appropriately.

Finalists:

Ivanhoe Mines

Katanga Mining Limited

Tenke Fungurume Mining

Best Performer in Social Investment

Winner:  Banro Corporation

Established in 2005, the Banro Foundation aims to improve the lives of thousands of people living in South Kivu and Maniema provinces through strategic investments in education, health and infrastructure development and to provide humanitarian assistance as needed. Approximately 70 projects, costing a total of approximately $5 million have been completed during the past nine years. By the end of 2014 this will include the construction of 10 new schools, the introduction of scholarships, construction of five health care facilities, the building of four potable water systems serving 33,000,000 people and the rehabilitation of over 100 kilometres of roads and bridges.

Finalists:

Fleurette

Ivanhoe Mines

Kamoto Copper Company

MMG Kinsevere

Randgold Resources

Tenke Fungurume Mining

Tiger Resources Limited

Mining Woman of the Year

Winner: Soraya Aziz Souleymane, former deputy director, The Carter Centre

Ms Souleymane is a development specialist, working for a Congolese mining company in Kivu province. She strives towards fostering collaboration among NGOs and key stakeholders advocating for good governance and economic and human development projects in the Congo. The aim of the Mining Governance program at The Carter Center is to ensure that key values for the mining industry, namely transparency and

accountability, are enforced through information disclosure and accessibility as well as monitoring, reporting, and analysis using Human Rights Impact Assessments and analysis of natural resource revenues.

Finalists:

Kaleba H. Ngoie-Kasongo, Executive Director, Hear Congo

Lily Tyson, Director: Government Relations and Corporate Affairs, Ivanhoe Mines

Marie Chantal Kaninda, Chief Advisor External Affairs Africa, Rio Tinto

Mining Company of the Year

Winner:  Tenke Fungurume Mining

Tenke Fungurume Mining produces copper cathodes and cobalt hydroxide. The Phase 2 expansion was completed in 2014 increasing annual copper production by 50% to a nameplate of 195,000 tonnes copper cathode and 15,000 tonnes cobalt hydroxide. Freeport continues to engage in drilling activities, exploration analyses and metallurgical testing on mixed and sulphide ores to evaluate the full potential of the highly prospective minerals district at Tenke. TFM has approximately 3,400 full time employees and approximately 3,900 contractors of which 98% of are DRC citizens. TFM has constructed six schools, refurbished one and provides financial assistance for the running of six of these schools.

Finalists:

Mutanda Mining

Ivanhoe Mines

Kamoto Copper Company

MMG Limited

Mutanda Mining SARL

Randgold Resources

Regal Resources Limited

Sicomines SARL

The judges for this year’s awards include:

– Elise Vigier, Technical Advisor, GIZ

– Jean Felix Mupande, General Director, Cadastre Minier

– Laura Cornish, Editor, Mining Review Africa

– Valery Mukasa, Director of the Ministry of Mines Office, Ministry of Mines

– Laure Gnassou, Economic Affairs Officer, MONUSCO

– Jean Jacques Kayembe, Ingénieur Civil & Expert Technique Responsable, ITIE-RDC

– Paul Yenga Mabolia, Co-ordinator, Promines

– Kay Nimmo, Manager of Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs, ITRI

– Marcel Mubenga, Editor, N Resources

– Georges Bokondu, Manager, SARW

Impressive industry support

The DRC’s Chamber of Mines has given its full support to the initiative while the leading mining publication and portal, Mining Review Africa, is the official media partner for the DRC Mining Industry Awards. Other award partners include: Ernst & Young as verification partner, CAT Tractafric Equipment as awards sponsors and an impressive list of VIPs attended again.

The DRC’s Ministry of Mines is an official supporter of the 11th edition of iPAD DRC and the event secured impressive industry support through the diamond sponsorship of Ivanhoe Mines as well as Banro Corporation, Engen and Tenke Fungurume Mining as platinum sponsors and Tiger Resources Limited and Aggreko as gold sponsors.

iPAD DRC Mining and Infrastructure Indaba is organised by Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK.

Next week, the 2015 iPAD season in the DRC continues in the hub of the copper and cobalt district of Lubumbashi when the industry gathers for Katanga Mining Week from 20-21 October.