Strathmore Extractives Industry Centre (SEIC), in partnership with Kipya Africa Limited, hosted the third edition of Mining 4i, an event that focuses on the promotion of Kenya’s mineral potential by attracting investment in technological innovation with this year’s theme being: Community partnership to foster innovation in extractive.

The event brought together stakeholders in the mining, oil and gas industry that included; the government, mining companies, Kenya Chamber of Mines representatives, civil society organizations, law firms, and academic institutions.

The occasion was divided into two sessions comprising of; presentations by different stakeholders and presentations by four innovators who presented their ideas before the Simba (name given to the panellists)

Kenya Chamber of Mines Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O), Mr. Moses Njeru, opened the event paving way for the first speaker of the event, Linda Jorheden from Atlas Copco who underscored the importance of innovation in the mining sector.

The keynote address was given by the Principal Secretary Ministry of Mining representative Geologist Shadrack Kimomo. In his speech Shadrack regarded the 3^rd Mining 4i event as a demonstration of the shared vision in enhancing technological innovation in Kenya’s extractive sector. Shardrack highlighted that since the 2^nd Mining 4i, great strides have been made in mining key among them; the sharing of mining revenue (royalties) among the national government at 70%, county governments at 20%, and communities in mining areas at 10% remitted directly to the counties.

In this year’s edition, out of the many candidates who sent in their innovation proposals, only four innovations were deemed fit for presentation;

Mercury Retort for Safe Extraction of Gold for Artisanal Miners by Gilbert Bett,

Enhancement of Gemstones using Thermal and Radiation Technology by Sally Njogu,

Mining Equipment Exchange by Kennedy Mwangi

Gold Mining and Extraction using Geo Microbiology by Audrey Mulama.

 

The Simbas evaluated the innovations and recognized Audrey’s innovation as best, awarding her Kshs. 40, 000 as an incentive to transform her idea into a final business product.

The future of mining, particularly artisanal and small scale mining, lies in innovation. Young innovators were therefore urged to continue innovating, as it is through investment in their ideas that Kenya will increase uptake of mining, oil and gas professions to mitigate unemployment.

All the participants in the 3^rd Mining 4i were challenged to harness the vast opportunities that mining presents to further foster the country’s economic development.