BHP is conducting the first in a series of workshops to promote and support greater intelligence and collaboration in minerals exploration in key mining jurisdictions in sub-Saharan Africa.
The first workshop is being held in Johannesburg, South Africa, co-hosted by the JSE Limited (JSE), Africa’s largest stock exchange by market value. Additional sessions will be held in the coming weeks in Namibia, Angola and Zambia.
The sessions are directed at junior mining and exploration companies as well as these regions’ academic institutions that maintain strong geoscience, mining engineering and innovation programmes. Geological surveys and national geoscience bodies, as well as research centres focusing on new exploration technologies, are also invited to attend.
The sessions aim to share BHP’s view of global mineral systems, exploration methodology and geoscience data schema, while also strengthening relationships across key institutions to support future exploration in the region.
The sessions will also provide an introduction to BHP’s Xplor programme for junior mining and exploration companies, along with innovative thinkers in exploration, academic institutions and geological surveys.
BHP Xplor is a nine-month accelerator programme for early-stage mineral exploration companies and mining innovators. It provides US$500 000 in equity-free funding, along with hands-on technical, commercial and operational support. It is designed to help explorers fast-track promising concepts into viable projects that can contribute to the minerals needed for the energy transition.
The workshops are led by BHP’s Dr Cam McCuaig (head of Global Generative Exploration, pictured) and joined by senior members of the BHP exploration team. Dr McCuaig says, “The objective of the workshops are to provide insights into BHP’s global exploration approach and identify mutual opportunities for collaboration. We also want to create greater awareness of BHP Xplor, and support innovative projects to bolster exploration in the region.”
The JSE’s Primary Markets: Equity Origination manager Patrycja Kula-Verster adds, “Capital formation in mining starts long before market entry. By co-hosting this workshop with BHP, the JSE is supporting the capabilities and collaboration needed to build a stronger pipeline of quality mining investment across the region.”
The 2025 BHP Xplor programme includes Orion Minerals Limited. Orion Minerals is a JSE-listed South African exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of copper and zinc assets.
Orion’s executive for Exploration, John Paul Hunt, comments, “Xplor, for us, has been a validation of our strategic positioning in and vision for the Northern Cape in South Africa, and has been an excellent conversation starter with our current and future partners. It’s already helping us to accelerate our thinking about our future resources.”
BHP and the South African Council for Geoscience recently signed a strategic partnership to collaborate on geoscientific data and accelerate mineral exploration using advanced digital tools. This partnership creates a framework for joint research, data sharing and exploration initiatives aimed at unlocking new insights from decades of geological information.