- Minister insists that technology is an addition to human labour in mining rather than a replacement
- But a leading global analytics expert holds that automation is likely to replace repetitive manual labour
BONGANI MALUNGA
The Minister of Minerals and Energy Lefoko Moagi has allayed fears that the rising usage of technology in the mining industry could result in layoffs for the human workforce.
Instead, Minister Moagi said, use of technology should be seen as a means to enhance and accelerate the mining processes of detection and extraction of minerals by making them seamless.
Hitech at Karowe
He was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of Lucara Diamond’s official presentation of the historic 2492-carat rough diamond that was unearthed at the company’s Karowe Mine late last month.
The discovery of the precious stone was aided by use of the cutting-edge technology of Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-Ray Transmission (XRT).
The XRT technology is hailed for being able to make real time estimates of diamond size frequency distributions (DSFD).
Pinpoint accuracy
According to experts, the system uses X-ray transmission sensors that can dissect minerals based on their atomic density. This helps sort the materials with pinpoint accuracy.
Other mineral exploration companies in Botswana have announced implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect more mineral deposits and make sense of geological data at their disposal.
Implementation of AI is regarded as a quicker method of mineral exploration and cuts processes from months to weeks. AI and other technological advancements are faster alternatives to predicting mineral deposits and reducing mineral exploration costs.
Automation and repetitive tasks
But Minister Moagi’s remarks notwithstanding, global data and analytics solutions expert Ali Soofastaei last year stated that mining jobs that involve repetitive manual labour such as drilling, blasting and loading could one day be replaced by automation.
While the general consensus is that technological advancements present a danger to the human workforce, potentially rendering many redundant, Moagi begs to differ.
The minister sees technology as a key addition to the industry which could benefit all involved in mining. “Technological advancements in the mining industry are not here to replace people,” he insisted.
“We as a people need to embrace the presence of technology. It is here to enhance our mining systems and make our lives easier.”