Mining Engineering
Exploration and Geology
MINING & MINERALS EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGY (Introduction to the Minerals Industry)
Orientation to the minerals industry: the commodities, the companies, the value chain and the terms.
- Duration
- 5 days
- Contact hours
- 30
- Level
- Foundation
- Fee from
- On enquiry
Overview
This is the entry point of the exploration technology series and assumes nothing. It covers which minerals matter and why, how a deposit becomes a mine and a mine becomes a product, and who the participants are, from juniors through majors to traders and smelters. Terminology is built deliberately, since the rest of the series depends on it, and the commodity cycle is explained because everything in this industry is eventually explained by it.
Who should attend
Entrants to the minerals sector, support and corporate staff at exploration and mining companies, and professionals moving across from other industries.
What you will be able to do
- Name the main commodity groups and what drives demand for each.
- Follow the value chain from discovery to a sold product.
- Distinguish the participants, and what each actually does.
- Use the industry's core terminology correctly.
- Explain the commodity cycle and its effect on decisions.
How it is taught
Short input, then work, across 5 days of roughly 6 teaching hours each. Exercises run on situations delegates bring rather than on a case study written for a different organisation. Cohorts are capped so that everybody is asked something.
Available as classroom, live online, in house.
Programme outline
Day 1
Minerals and metals
- Base, precious, bulk, energy and industrial minerals
- Demand drivers by commodity
- Critical minerals, and why the list keeps changing
Day 2
The chain
- Exploration, development, production and closure
- Concentrate, smelting and refining
- Transport, trading and the route to market
Day 3
The participants
- Juniors, mid tiers and majors
- Contractors, consultants and service providers
- Traders, smelters and end users
Day 4
Money
- How exploration is funded
- Markets, pricing and benchmarks
- The cycle, and its effect on employment
Day 5
Context
- Regulation and tenure in outline
- Environment and community expectations
- Where the industry is heading
What you leave with
- A value chain map for one commodity.
- A working glossary.
- A short briefing on a commodity of your choice.
Dates and fees
| Dates | Location | Format | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 to 27 November 2026 | Nairobi, Kenya | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 30 November 2026 to 4 December 2026 | Accra, Ghana | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 7 to 11 December 2026 | Windhoek, Namibia | Classroom | R15,000 |
| 14 to 18 December 2026 | Maseru, Lesotho | Classroom | R15,000 |
Fees are per delegate and cover tuition, all programme materials and the certificate. Travel, accommodation and visas are arranged by the delegate. Registration closes two weeks before a programme starts.
Certificate
A GATI certificate recording what was attended, issued after the programme has run and attendance has been taken. Attending at least 80 per cent of the days earns a certificate of completion; attending less earns a certificate of attendance stating exactly what was attended. Every certificate carries a code that anybody can check against GATI's own record.
It records participation. and GATI does not claim one it does not hold.