South Africa’s AngloGold sees growth in Americas

AngloGold Ashanti, a company that emerged from the South African mining empire created by Ernest Oppenheimer, is pivoting toward the Americas to develop more profitable assets.

The world’s No. 3 gold producer is studying projects in Colombia and Nevada, CEO Kelvin Dushnisky said in an interview in Cape Town, where he’s attending the African Mining Indaba.

“The market will always be receptive to good projects, and these are quality assets,” Dushnisky said. “The reason we want to bring them into production is part of our objective to bring in new, longer life, lower-cost operations.”

Since taking the helm of AngloGold in September 2018, Dushnisky has sold the company’s mine in Mali and is seeking a buyer for its last South African operations. Africa will remain a key part of the business, including through Ghana’s Obuasi mine, but not the iconic Witwatersrand basin.