The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources has released further details of The Future Minerals Summit (FMS), planned for 11–13 January in Riyadh. This includes an update regarding speakers and details of a high-level Ministerial Roundtable.

Numerous Ministers and more than 50 world-class speakers have been confirmed for the prestigious upcoming Summit, including the following mining, investment, technology, manufacturing and sustainability thought-leaders: 

• Mark Bristow (President of Barrick Gold); 

• Robert Friedland (Founder and Co-Chairman of Ivanhoe Mines); 

• Eric Cantor (Managing Director of Moelis & Company); 

• Andrew Forrest (Chairman of Fortescue Metals Group); 

• Andrew Liveris (Chairman of Lucid Motors); 

• Roy Harvey (President and CEO of Alcoa); 

• Jeremy Weir (Chairman and CEO of Trafigura); 

• Marco Lambertini (General Secretary of WWF); 

• Thomas Kaplan (Chairman of Novagold); 

• Jeffrey Dawes (CEO of Komatsu Mining Corp); 

• Rohitesh Dhawan (CEO of the International Council on Mining and Metals); 

• Peter Leon (Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills and one of the world’s pre-eminent mining lawyers).

“The calibre of speakers who have already committed to the Future Minerals Summit demonstrates the tremendous interest in the new frontier of mining that includes the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. This part of the world will play a vital role in meeting the exponential growth in global demand for the critical minerals needed in a low-carbon society,” remarked His Excellency Khalid Al-Mudaifer, Vice-Minister of Mining Affairs. “The Summit offers a ‘one-stop-shop’ where countries can learn from world-class experts how to build a sustainable industry, and where investors and miners can gain in-depth knowledge about the regions’ tremendous geological potential.”

Pre-event Ministerial Roundtable to set super-regional agenda for mining

The Kingdom is also convening a Ministerial Roundtable in Riyadh the day before the Summit sessions, with the aim of defining the future of mining across the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. Ministerial representatives of 25 governments will meet to address key questions and highlight the greatest opportunities across these regions.

“Our ambition is to shape the future of mining and find solutions to industry challenges such as securing supply of future critical minerals,” said His Excellency Al-Mudaifer. “By bringing together governments, the private sector, multilateral organisations and NGOs, we aim to create a mining sector that does things the right way, sustainably and equitably.”

World-renowned speakers to share information and expertise

In addition to the dozens of confirmed speakers from the mining industry, leaders from multilateral organisations such as the World Bank, the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), and the World Gold Council also will share their knowledge and insights with Summit attendees.

“It is vital for us as an industry to come together with governments and other stakeholders to build the groundwork for the safe, fair and sustainable production of the minerals and metals needed to achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals. Our research clearly shows that under the right conditions, the mining sector can be a powerful force for national and regional development, and I welcome this important event at a critical time for the industry and the region,” said ICMM CEO Rohitesh Dhawan.

Summit themes align to global sustainability agenda 

Given the rapidly growing demand for technologies such as electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines – all of which require significant amounts of minerals – the Summit themes have been developed around the common over-arching subject of sustainability. Thematic titles include:

• Mining’s Contribution to Society – Highlighting the critical role of minerals and mining in enabling a low carbon future.

• Reimagining Mining – Shining a spotlight on technology and innovation that will create new and more sustainable ways of mining.

• Lands of Opportunity – Outlining investment and partnership opportunities along the mineral and metals value chains from exploration to manufacturing.

In his role as Vice-Minister of Mining Affairs at the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, His Excellency Al-Mudaifer represented Saudi Arabia at the recently held Mines and Money conference in London. At the event, H.E. Al-Mudaifer delivered a plenary session and participated in a ‘fireside chat’, during which he shared insights gained during his decades in the mining industry about the global mining industry and provided additional details about the upcoming Future Minerals Summit (FMS), which will be held from 11–13 January 2022 in Riyadh.

To stay up-to-date, and for further information on how to participate, visit: www.futuremineralssumit.com