“The need for precision and predictability is everywhere, not just because the industry is moving into more complex ore bodies, but also when it comes to community interactions.”
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As the first GM for Dyno Nobel Africa, what stands at the core of your growth strategy?
At the center of our strategy in Africa is logistics and security of supply; second, we are following tier-one customers from other continents into Africa, harnessing our global footprint and long-term relationships.
In FY25, we have grown substantially across our EMEA and Latam markets, and we are bullish about continuing on that trajectory. Africa’s critical minerals have a strong growth curve ahead of them, a growth curve we are also trailing. Gold-focused countries like Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, or even Guinea, where world-class miners operate, are natural hotspots for us. In Ghana, we have been awarded a contract by AngloGold Ashanti and are busy setting up multiple plants for their Iduapriem and Obuasi mines. For 2026, our focus will be on scaling precision blasting services and expanding into new jurisdictions, while maintaining our commitment to safety and sustainability.
Can you elaborate on Dyno Nobel’s supply chain strategy?
We are creating resilience in the supply chain by forming various clusters or hubs, essentially multiplying our centers of reach to shorten lead times and ensure greater supply security. More than establishing these hubs for the different regions (like West Africa and East Africa), we are also installing regional production capacity. Dyno Nobel’s acquisition of Titanobel (in France) several years ago was subsequently complimented by the acquisition of Nitromak in Turkey and together with the 50:50 JVs with Sasol (SDN) and AECI (DetNet) in South Africa, we now have a competent manufacturing infrastructure to serve the African market and whole EMEA region.
Dyno Nobel also formed a JV with Kilimanjaro Explosives Company Limited in Tanzania. How do you see the role of such partnerships to deepen reach in Africa?
Openness and flexibility with local partners is part of the strategic direction we want to follow as part of our growth. We believe these partnerships provide real advantage for both partners, and ultimately for the customer, who can benefit from a combination of local expertise and global technology for sustainable growth. That is an ideal offer. In these JV models, we focus on technology transfer and real collaboration, a win-win-win model with our customers.
We’re actively exploring similar partnerships elsewhere in Africa with a flexible approach.
As demand for critical minerals and REEs drives mining into more complex ore bodies, how are blasting requirements evolving?
The need for precision and predictability is everywhere, not just because the industry is moving into more complex ore bodies, but also when it comes to community interactions, to reduce things like vibration and fly rock.
Our value proposition is catered around a full technology offering, including premium emulsion products like DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY® (ΔE) emulsions with MPUs and MCUs, digital tools like Nobel Fire®, and initiating systems with the Commander system that sits on top of the DigiShot® Plus 4G electronic detonators. It is the combination of all these products that gives our partners the ability to manage energy application very precisely and with predictable outcomes.
How do electronic detonators minimize fly rock and vibration?
In a conventional blast, multiple explosives can detonate very close together in time. When that happens, the vibration waves they generate can overlap and reinforce and amplify each other, much like sound waves that peak at the same moment. This reinforcement increases overall ground vibration and raises the risk of issues such as fly rock and damage to nearby infrastructure. Electronic detonators control the timing down to the millisecond with extreme precision. Instead of vibration waves peaking at the same time, the detonators can be programmed so that the shock waves are slightly offset. When one wave is peaking, another may be dipping, so they partially cancel each other out.
Do you have a final message for the global mining community?
Completing the separation from fertilizers allows us to reinvest fully into explosives and focus on growth and innovation in our explosives market. Africa is the next frontier to grow our brand with world-class blasting solutions, safety, and sustainability to support the continent’s growth in critical minerals. We look forward to partnering with mining companies, communities, suppliers and governments to shape the future together.
As the first GM for Dyno Nobel Africa, what stands at the core of your growth strategy?
At the center of our strategy in Africa is logistics and security of supply; second, we are following tier-one customers from other continents into Africa, harnessing our global footprint and long-term relationships.
In FY25, we have grown substantially across our EMEA and Latam markets, and we are bullish about continuing on that trajectory. Africa’s critical minerals have a strong growth curve ahead of them, a growth curve we are also trailing. Gold-focused countries like Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, or even Guinea, where world-class miners operate, are natural hotspots for us. In Ghana, we have been awarded a contract by AngloGold Ashanti and are busy setting up multiple plants for their Iduapriem and Obuasi mines. For 2026, our focus will be on scaling precision blasting services and expanding into new jurisdictions, while maintaining our commitment to safety and sustainability.
Can you elaborate on Dyno Nobel’s supply chain strategy?
We are creating resilience in the supply chain by forming various clusters or hubs, essentially multiplying our centers of reach to shorten lead times and ensure greater supply security. More than establishing these hubs for the different regions (like West Africa and East Africa), we are also installing regional production capacity. Dyno Nobel’s acquisition of Titanobel (in France) several years ago was subsequently complimented by the acquisition of Nitromak in Turkey and together with the 50:50 JVs with Sasol (SDN) and AECI (DetNet) in South Africa, we now have a competent manufacturing infrastructure to serve the African market and whole EMEA region.
Dyno Nobel also formed a JV with Kilimanjaro Explosives Company Limited in Tanzania. How do you see the role of such partnerships to deepen reach in Africa?
Openness and flexibility with local partners is part of the strategic direction we want to follow as part of our growth. We believe these partnerships provide real advantage for both partners, and ultimately for the customer, who can benefit from a combination of local expertise and global technology for sustainable growth. That is an ideal offer. In these JV models, we focus on technology transfer and real collaboration, a win-win-win model with our customers.
We’re actively exploring similar partnerships elsewhere in Africa with a flexible approach.
As demand for critical minerals and REEs drives mining into more complex ore bodies, how are blasting requirements evolving?
The need for precision and predictability is everywhere, not just because the industry is moving into more complex ore bodies, but also when it comes to community interactions, to reduce things like vibration and fly rock.
Our value proposition is catered around a full technology offering, including premium emulsion products like DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY® (ΔE) emulsions with MPUs and MCUs, digital tools like Nobel Fire®, and initiating systems with the Commander system that sits on top of the DigiShot® Plus 4G electronic detonators. It is the combination of all these products that gives our partners the ability to manage energy application very precisely and with predictable outcomes.
How do electronic detonators minimize fly rock and vibration?
In a conventional blast, multiple explosives can detonate very close together in time. When that happens, the vibration waves they generate can overlap and reinforce and amplify each other, much like sound waves that peak at the same moment. This reinforcement increases overall ground vibration and raises the risk of issues such as fly rock and damage to nearby infrastructure. Electronic detonators control the timing down to the millisecond with extreme precision. Instead of vibration waves peaking at the same time, the detonators can be programmed so that the shock waves are slightly offset. When one wave is peaking, another may be dipping, so they partially cancel each other out.
Do you have a final message for the global mining community?
Completing the separation from fertilizers allows us to reinvest fully into explosives and focus on growth and innovation in our explosives market. Africa is the next frontier to grow our brand with world-class blasting solutions, safety, and sustainability to support the continent’s growth in critical minerals. We look forward to partnering with mining companies, communities, suppliers and governments to shape the future together.
