News

29/11/22

Mining is one of the routes for Brazil to attract foreign capital in large volumes in the coming years and double the sector’s share in GDP, from 2.4% to 5%. This is what the Minister of Mines and Energy, Adolfo Sachsida, said at the headquarters of the Brazilian Mining Institute (IBRAM), in Brasília, on the afternoon of this Tuesday (11/29). The entity celebrated its 46th anniversary and its CEO, Raul Jungmann, presented an overview of the sector in 2022.

Due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, “there is a reallocation of the investment portfolio, leaving Eastern Europe, Asia and in search of a ‘safe haven'”, analyzed the minister. As there is worldwide interest in the energy transition and “it is impossible” to achieve it without increasing the supply of minerals, this is a great opportunity for mining to prosper and generate even more wealth, jobs and opportunities for Brazilians.

Sachsida said that for Brazil to prove to be a safe harbor in the mining sector, it is necessary to renew the legal frameworks for this activity, create instruments to finance its projects, create a safer and more predictable business environment, among other measures. According to him, it is necessary to resolve such situations in order not to condemn the country to “not growing”.

Minister of Mines and Energy, Adolfo Sachsida during an event organized by IBRAM – credit: Tico Fonseca

Several federal and state authorities, as well as businessmen from various sectors, ambassadors and other representatives of diplomatic delegations participated in the ceremony. Among others, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos França; MME Secretary of Geology, Mining and Mineral Transformation, Lilia Mascarenhas Sant’agostino; the governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho; Army General and former Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva; the director of the National Mining Agency (ANM), Ronaldo Lima; the director of ANM, Roger Romão Cabral; the director of ANM, Tasso Mendoça; the director of Instituto Escolhas, Sergio Leitão; the federal deputy, Zé Silva; federal deputy Arnaldo Jardim; the Secretary of State for Economic Development, Mining and Energy of Pará, José Fernando Gomes Júnior; the ambassador of the European Union, Ignácio Ybañez Rubio; Australian Ambassador Grant Morrison; and representatives from the US and Finnish embassies.

Minister Sachsida received a plaque in honor of the work carried out at the head of the Ministry of Mines and Energy by Raul Jungmann. The IBRAM leader recalled that the mining industry is economically solid, “but we are not just numbers”, he said. He said that sustainability, the transition to a low-carbon economy, the fight against climate change, the preservation of biodiversity, and other fundamental themes for the present and future of humanity are at the center of attention and actions in the mineral sector.

Jungmann said that IBRAM and the associated mining companies are reinforcing their activities in relation to these issues and cited two examples: the launch of the Mining Green Book, with several cases of environmental preservation in charge of the mining companies; the Amazon & Bioeconomy International Conference, which is being structured and will be held in August 2023 in Belém (PA). The unprecedented Conference will be held during the largest mining event in Latin America, EXPOSIBRAM 2023.

The leader said that mining will be an agent promoting the debate and also actions to establish an effectively sustainable development project for the Amazon, in conjunction with other organizations and governments. According to Raul Jungmann, it is necessary to develop the Amazon socially and environmentally, with respect for the original peoples, in order to create positive prospects for the future for the population of that region. “Mining has an important role to play in relation to this challenge”, he said.

The chairman of the Board of Directors, Wilfred Bruijn, said at the ceremony that IBRAM will have the goal of strengthening its actions in 2023 and seeking greater recognition for the relevant socio-environmental and economic role of mining. “In this sense, we are going to promote a series of actions and events that will be decisive in establishing the directions for mining in the future, which is increasingly responsible, safe and sustainable,” he said.

IBRAM also paid homage to its Counselor César Weinschenck de Faria, from Copelmi Mineração, for his services in favor of mining and to employee Edileine Araújo, for her 30 years of dedication to the Institute.