Mubasher: The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources recently announced that the second edition of the Future Minerals Forum (FMF) will take place during 10-12 January 2023.

To be held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, the forum will gather global mining industry leaders, including governments and business executives, according to a recent press release.

Furthermore, the three-day event will introduce a platform to discuss the future of the mining industry in Africa, as well as in West and Central Asia.

More than 9,000 participants are expected to attend the forum, along with 170 international speakers, including government ministers, mining investment leaders, and heads of key mining companies from over 100 countries.

On the first day of the event, high-level government delegations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the mining sector will gather at a ministerial roundtable.

The forum will host various sessions to discuss regional and international topics related to the mining sector during the second and third days.

The agenda will touch upon the global outlook and future of mining on both the regional and global levels. It will also highlight the sector’s role in energy transition, in addition to the mining's contribution to the development of societies.

Moreover, the forum will tackle mining opportunities in Saudi Arabia and the wider region from Africa to Western and Central Asia.

The event will also enable the attendees to explore new partnerships to maximise the benefits of mining for sustainable economic development, the development of integrated value chains, technology, as well as sustainability.

Bandar Ibrahim Al Khorayef, the Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, said: “The Future Minerals Forum is a one-of-a-kind event for global mining leaders to convene, discuss and explore the new mining hub emerging from Africa to Western and Central Asia.”

Al Khorayef noted: “With vast untapped mineral resources, these lands represent significant investment opportunities for those with the vision and capabilities to support the development of the global circular carbon economy and the transformation of the energy sector.”

The first edition of the Future Minerals Forum kicked off on 11 January 2022 in Riyadh and witnessed the presence of more than 2,000 decision makers from over 100 countries around the world.