ABB’s Marais urges connected mining tech to boost safety and jobs in Africa

At Electra Mining Africa 2026 in Johannesburg earlier this week, Charl Marais of ABB South Africa argued that interconnected digital systems—not just smarter machines—can make African mines safer and more productive. Marais, whose career began designing electric motors before moving into power electronics and control systems, said technology should act as a barrier between workers and hazards, moving people away from danger while keeping their expertise central to operations.

He noted many African mines already have sophisticated systems—programmable logic controllers for grinding, concentrators, substations—but these often operate in isolation. Linking them into a single digital control system would let operators see how a bottleneck in crushing affects energy use, production and costs across the whole mine, providing richer data for AI to optimise processes. ABB showcased relevant technologies at the expo, including substations, switchgear, SCADA platforms and software for remote monitoring and control, aiming to help mines produce more, use less energy and cut environmental impact.

For Nigeria, where solid minerals such as limestone, coal, tin and gold remain under‑exploited, the lesson is clear: adopting connected control systems could improve safety in hazardous mining sites, boost output from existing infrastructure and create new technical jobs in automation, data analysis and remote operations. As global demand for copper, cobalt and other transition minerals rises, Nigerian firms and policymakers might ask: How can we invest in interconnection and training so our mining workforce moves from pit‑side danger to control‑room decision‑making?

SOURCE: https://techcabal.com/2026/09/11/coffee-with-charl-marais/