The Harare office of global engineers and scientists, SRK Consulting, has appointed a local country manager and is looking forward to contributing to the recovery of Zimbabwe’s mining sector. According to SRK chairman Roger Dixon the recent appointment of geologist Arimon Ngilazi will give new impetus to the expansion of SRK’s activities in that country. “In line with SRK policy and preference, we are very pleased to have been able to attract a local person of Arimon’s skill and experience to lead our business in Zimbabwe,” said Dixon.

Having studied geology and physics at the University of Zimbabwe, Ngilazi has spent most of his career in the country, starting out in 1992 as a graduate learner geologist at Bindura Nickel Corporation’s Trojan mine. He later became mine geologist and was seconded to Prospecting Ventures. In 1996 he moved to Anglo American Zimbabwe as senior resource evaluation geologist, and worked there for over a decade. He was promoted to group mineral resource evaluation engineer, after which he worked on the Unki platinum mine as project geologist and mineral resource analyst.

It was only in 2007 that he moved north, to work on the Sadiola and Yatela mines in Mali as senior resource evaluation geologist. “We are very keen to see the mining sector in Zimbabwe resurrect itself in the next few years, as we know it must,” said Dixon. “It is vital that technical skills be nurtured there to create a foundation for investments in new exploration and mines.” He said that businesses and investors moving into Zimbabwe need high-quality feasibility studies, exploration reports and other technical interventions – many of which can only be delivered by industry-recognised competent persons.

“While many skilled professionals have left the country, there are locals with engineering training who can contribute to and gain the experience they need from mineral projects,” he said. “We believe that true transformation can result from more local people playing their part in Zimbabwe’s exciting mining opportunities.” In SRK’s business model, managers and employees in each office work towards an ownership stake in their operation. The group recently launched a DRC office in Lubumbashi on this basis, and will do the same in the near future with its new Ghana office in Accra. The Zimbabwe office is active with platinum projects on the Great Dyke, and is exploring opportunities in gold prospects as well as in copper and chrome.

“By applying the group’s stringent quality assurance and financial management systems, we can ensure that each office – no matter where it is based – is uniformly meeting the standards for which SRK has become known,” said Dixon.