SRK Consulting extends African footprint

Peter Labrum, managing director, SRK Consulting (SA)

"Our expansion strategy is based on long-term investments in selected countries where we have identified the right local experts and a landscape of opportunity," said SRK Consulting (SA) managing director, Peter Labrum. "This may mean there are no quick returns, but we can ensure our exacting standards are applied and capacity is continuously built over time."

The breadth of SRK's service offering has steadily grown from its initial mining focus to serve markets including infrastructure, energy, local, provincial and national government, industry and agriculture.

"The importance of environmental and social services - especially as they relate to stakeholder engagement - has become critical to the success of mining and infrastructure projects in recent years," said Labrum. "Demand for our water expertise has also grown due to infrastructure requirements, especially in rural areas."

Increased opportunities

There are also increased opportunities for project monitoring, he said, to ensure that implementation proceeds as planned and achieves the expected impact, including the building of local capacity to strengthen sustainability.

Recent involvement in Cameroon has demonstrated how SRK's wide range of engineering expertise can play a key role in unlocking Africa's mineral wealth. As technical advisor to the government of Cameroon, SRK was part of the process to finalise the mining convention with Australian miner Sundance Resources - as well as concessions for a mineral terminal and railway - for the $5bn Mbalam iron ore project.

Challenging global economic conditions, aggravated by the recent Ebola epidemic, are making business in Africa difficult but there are signs that exploration activity is picking up in certain countries - which is likely to improve demand for various consulting services on the continent.