The annual Fraser Institute – Survey of Mining Companies 2018 states: “Botswana is again the highest ranked jurisdiction in Africa on policy, ranking 12th (of 83) in 2018”.
This report presents the results of the Fraser Institute’s 2018 annual survey of mining and exploration companies.
The survey is an attempt to assess how mineral endowments and public policy factors such as taxation and regulatory uncertainty affect exploration investment.
The survey was circulated electronically to approximately 2,600 individuals between August 21st and November 9th, 2018.
Survey responses have been tallied to rank provinces, states, and countries according to the extent that public policy factors encourage or discourage mining investment.
The Fraser Institute received a total of 291 responses for the survey, providing sufficient data to evaluate 83 jurisdictions.
By way of comparison, 91 jurisdictions were evaluated in 2017, 104 in 2016, 109 in 2015, and 122 in 2014.
The number of jurisdictions that can be included in the study tends to wax and wane as the mining sector grows or shrinks due to commodity prices and sectoral factors.
This year’s survey includes an analysis of permit times, which was previously evaluated in a separate publication.
The investment attractiveness index takes both mineral and policy perception into consideration
An overall Investment Attractiveness Index is constructed by combining the Best Practices Mineral Potential index, which rates regions based on their geologic attractiveness, and the Policy Perception Index, a composite index that measures the effects of government policy on attitudes toward exploration investment.
While it is useful to measure the attractiveness of a jurisdiction based on policy factors such as onerous regulations, taxation levels, the quality of infrastructure, and the other policy related questions that respondents answered, the Policy Perception Index alone does not recognize the fact that investment decisions are often sizably based on the pure mineral potential of a jurisdiction.
Indeed, as discussed below, respondents consistently indicate that approximately 40 percent of their investment decision is determined by policy factors.
The top jurisdiction in Africa for investment based on the Investment Attractiveness Index is Botswana, followed by South Africa. See list below.
Country | Score
10. Ethiopia – 45.73
9. Ghana – 54.91
8. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – 54.92
7. Tanzania – 55.04
6. Zimbabwe – 56.57
5. Namibia – 56.66
4. Mali – 62.18
3. Zambia – 63.6
2. South Africa – 65.3
1. Botswana – 71.66
Policy Perception Index: A “report card” to governments on the attractiveness of their mining policies
While geologic and economic considerations are important factors in mineral exploration, a region’s policy climate is also an important investment consideration.
The Policy Perception Index (PPI), is a composite index that measures the overall policy attractiveness of the 83 jurisdictions in the survey. The index is composed of survey responses to policy factors that affect investment decisions.
Policy factors examined include uncertainty concerning the administration of current regulations, environmental regulations, regulatory duplication, the legal system and taxation regime, uncertainty concerning protected areas and disputed land claims, infrastructure, socioeconomic and community development conditions, trade barriers, political stability, labor regulations, quality of the geological database, security, and labor and skills availability.
The 10 least attractive jurisdictions for investment based on the PPI rankings are
1. Botswana – 94.77
2. Namibia – 80.71
3. Zambia – 65.25
4. South Africa – 64.57
5. Ghana – 62.27
6. Mali – 60.00
7. Tanzania – 56.83
8. Ethiopia – 54.31
9. Zimbabwe – 47.68
10. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – 34.18
