DRA GLOBAL – Creating a Lasting Legacy: Nominee for the Excellence in Social Development, 2025 Africa Award
By Sarah Siva | 28 August 2025
About the Nominee & their Nomination
- DRA Global, headquartered in Perth, Australia, delivers multi-disciplinary engineering, project execution, and operations management services to the mining, minerals, and metals industry. Its subsidiary, Minopex, is a global leader in contract operation and maintenance services, known for delivering productivity, cost efficiency, and sustainable solutions across a range of commodities. The company’s approach is guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a strong emphasis on community involvement, local employment, and environmental stewardship.
- Minopex’s Lasting Legacy Initiative in South Africa addresses high unemployment, limited education, and poor healthcare in host communities, aiming to create long-term socio-economic upliftment that extends beyond the life of mining operations. The initiative integrates community engagement, skills development, local procurement, enterprise support, and infrastructure improvement. In 2024, Minopex exceeded its transformation and procurement targets, achieving B-BBEE Level 1 status and making substantial investments in Black- and Black Women-Owned enterprises, small businesses, and community projects.
- Key Outcomes & Impact:
- A$121.8 million in preferential procurement (24% above target) with a 9% increase in support for Black Women-Owned businesses.
- A$117.4 million spent with B-BBEE-compliant suppliers, achieving maximum transformation scorecard points.
- A$3.1 million in skills development, bursaries, learnerships, and apprenticeships, plus targeted training for women in mining.
- A$2.6 million invested in supplier and enterprise development to strengthen small business capacity.
- A$3 million allocated to education infrastructure, creating safer, modern learning spaces and local job opportunities.
- By combining strategic planning with grassroots engagement, Minopex ensures its projects meet community needs, foster self-sufficiency, and reduce dependency on mining. The program’s focus on education, entrepreneurship, and infrastructure creates intergenerational benefits and positions Minopex as a leader in values-driven, sustainable mining support services.