B2Gold’s metallurgical steward on a quest for betterment

Sion Kamati is an experienced metallurgist with close to a decade of industry experience, specialising in gold and uranium.

Most of his experience comes from the B2Gold Corporation, where he currently serves as the plant metallurgist. Kamati’s unique blend of technical expertise and interpersonal finesse make him a standout professional in the field, contributing to both the industry's success and the growth of his colleagues.

“I joined B2Gold in August 2014 as a junior metallurgist, and I have since climbed the ladder to my current position,” he said.

Kamati envisions the mining industry in Namibia with a strong focus on improving the quality of life for the local population. He said it is disheartening to witness how companies often extract wealth from nations without making significant contributions in return.

He thus suggested that locals ought to play a more prominent role in high-level management and decision-making processes. “This increased involvement will foster transparency between the investing companies and the people who own the country's valuable resources.”

School and dreams

The 32-year-old is a Lüderitz native and the last born of four sisters and two brothers. He started his educational journey at Diaz Primary School, later completing grade 10 in 2007 at Lüderitz Secondary School. He said he was the second-best student in the //Karas Region that year. He relocated to Swakopmund towards the end of 2007 to complete grade 12 at West Side High School, where he matriculated in 2009.

He admitted that it was his relocation that brought him closer to the world of mining.

“My brother-in-law encouraged me to work towards an engineering degree in metallurgy, as it was one of the most well-paid fields in demand and presented good development opportunities through the ranks. I take pride in knowing that my time to lead the ‘hot seat’ will inevitably come my way at some point.”

Reviving Otjikoto Gold Mine

Kamati noted that he was part of the brilliant processing team that commissioned B2Gold Namibia's Otjikoto Gold Mine until stable operations. Additionally, he underscored the opportunity to lead and guide teams of metallurgists, junior metallurgists, plant operators, reagent operators, metallurgical technicians and metallurgical interns towards achieving company-set metallurgical key performance indicators.

As is the case with leadership, Kamati has seen his fair share of hurdles, especially with the youthful teams. He pointed out that educating some of them on the scientific methods employed in the process was one such challenge, as some of them required more time to grasp concepts.

“This, however, became good motivation for me to nurture the enthusiasm of a great team of youthful individuals, most of whom had little to no mining industry experience. They eventually expressed a strong desire to learn and gain skills in a high-performance demanding environment,” he said.

Nurturing desire

Kamati’s time in the mining industry has allowed him to observe highly sophisticated technologies that greatly improve the “safe work” aspects by reducing human involvement in hazardous processes. He expressed his desire to be part of this advancement and duly contribute to its enhancement.

“I want to impact the industry by continuing to improve data collection in metallurgical systems or processes to enhance data-driven decision-making for management.”

He advised the youth to remember that anything is possible if they put their minds and hearts into it. He never anticipated being where he is today, he said, adding that it was his unwavering determination and single-minded focus that enabled him to obtain a degree despite facing challenging circumstances.

“You can achieve anything if you wholeheartedly believe in it because the universe has a way of conspiring to make it happen.”