As Africa looks to capitalise on strong gold prices and growing investment opportunities, increasing production will require more than simply developing new mines. The performance, reliability and sustainability of existing operations will also be critical.
This will form part of the conversation when Hennie du Plessis, Lesedi’s Senior Manager for Strategic Business Development in the Industrial Division, joins industry leaders at African Mining Week 2026, taking place in Cape Town from 14–16 October. 
du Plessis will participate in the Africa Gold Forum: Expanding Africa’s Gold Output panel discussion on 15 October, where leaders from across the sector will explore how African gold-producing countries and companies can responsibly increase output, optimise projects and take advantage of current market conditions.
While much of the gold conversation naturally centres on resources, investment and commodity prices, du Plessis will bring an engineering and project-delivery perspective to the discussion.
His contribution will explore the role that engineering excellence, brownfield optimisation, operational efficiency and responsible project execution can play in unlocking more value from Africa’s existing mining operations.
“Africa’s opportunity is not only about discovering more ore. There is significant potential within existing operations, and engineering can play an important role in unlocking it,” says Hennie.
From improving plant performance and reliability to addressing energy, environmental, and operational constraints, mining companies have opportunities to increase productivity without always starting from the ground up.
du Plessis will also touch on why increasing production cannot be separated from the broader questions facing Africa’s mining industry, including environmental responsibility, localisation, skills development and the long-term economic value created around mining operations.
As an EPC and EPCM engineering company supporting mining and industrial operations across Africa, Lesedi will bring a practical project and engineering perspective to a conversation that is becoming increasingly important for the continent’s mining sector.
Catch Hennie and fellow industry leaders at the Africa Gold Forum: Expanding Africa’s Gold Output, on 15 October 2026 from 10:00–10:45 at CTICC2, Cape Town.