AME BC Roundup 2015 begins with wisdom from B2Gold CEO Clive Johnson

POSTED ON January 27, 2015 BY Andrew Nelson
CATEGORY AME BC, B2Gold,

LA PRENSA/ARCHIVO

Clive Johnson is one of very few mining entrepreneurs to have grown an exploration venture into a billion dollar market cap gold producer, not once but twice. He said it was an accident he ended up in the mining business, but Johnson's first venture Bema Gold, was no accident after it was sold for CAD $3.5B to Kinross in February 2007. B2Gold (TSE: BTO) (www.B2Gold.com) has the mission to develop world class gold deposits and is guided by the same management team as it emerges to become the next major gold producer.

Investors, geoscientists, prospectors, gold bugs, and CEO’s alike gathered at the Vancouver Convention Centre East on January 26th to commence AME BC Roundup 2015 which focuses on global mineral exploration.

To start off the week, keynote speaker Clive Johnson welcomed attendees and spoke of the importance of mining in improving the lives of ordinary people in developing countries.

I was fortunate enough to have attended the early morning CEO breakfast and the following are key excerpts from Mr. Johnson’s opening keynote speech:

“In our industry, if you have the opportunity to obtain cash, take it along with more than you think you will need, because you will always need it.”

“One of the most important aspects of a mining company is management. Sadly, management has not been doing well in many areas of our industry. There have been too many mistakes with cost overruns, poor engineering, and hopeless projects having cash thrown at them. Our industry is suffering due mainly to misguided companies and of course weak gold prices.”

“To generate value for shareholders miners have to do accretive deals by acquiring real estate that has defined ounces in the ground. We do not acquire projects and spend our money exploring for gold, our company acquires property with gold in the ground in countries where others may not see the value.”

“The key to successfully operating mines internationally is to have the proper experience and at B2Gold we can firmly say we do. As well, you have to empower the people that are at the sites. With our producing mines in Nicaragua, Philippines, and now Namibia we make every effort to hire individuals from the communities there.

“In 1988 Bema Gold started exploring in Chile which was seen as a little bit crazy at the time because not many companies had projects in the country. We always viewed ourselves as contrarians. That has always been one of our keys to success, being prepared to go where others fear to tread.”

“Nicaragua is one of my favourite countries to do business in. It has a strong history of mining. In my opinion it is a country which is going to boom in the next 10 to 20 years. We have excellent relations with the government and have never had any issues or hint of corruption. To do our part we are the largest employer and taxpayer in Nicaragua with our two producing mines.”

“Delivering promises to shareholders has always been a priority, but it is the local people and government in the jurisdictions that you operate in that promises truly must be kept. Your project will never be approved if local government believes you are going to pollute the environment or not mine in a sustainable manner, which is the complete opposite of B2Gold.”

“My advice to junior explorers is do not try to transition yourselves into a producer, you will fail unless you have the experience. The transition is incredibly complex and requires a whole new set of skills to be successful at which very few teams possess. The ideal situation is to make the discovery and take the attractive buy-out offer from an experienced producer.”

“Keys for success in mining are be prepared to go international. We have ventured to Russia, Nicaragua, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Namibia to name a few. Always conduct thorough due diligence paired with strong corporate and technical teams. This is a business with investors. We are here to make money.”

Roundup continues in Vancouver today through Thursday. Here's a link to the schedule.

I will be attending the AME BC Celebration of Excellence Awards Gala from 6:30PM to late this evening and look forward to meeting other professionals in the mining industry.

Discuss at http://chat.ceo.ca

Andrew Nelson

Andrew Nelson is pursuing the CPA designation as an auditor at Davidson & Co., the leading service provider for junior mining clients globally. Mr. Nelson has experience working with TSX venture listed explorers in Kazakhstan, Paraguay, Peru, Namibia, Madagascar, West Africa, United States, and Canada reporting under IFRS framework. He is an Executive Officer with Young Mining Professionals a not-for-profit which holds networking events for young professionals in Vancouver's resource sector. His interests are reporting on Canadian precious metal explorers and holding informative interviews with accomplished mining professionals. If involved in junior mining he would love to hear from you at Andrew.GM.Nelson@Gmail.com. More →

Twitter: @https://twitter.com/ANelsonMining

andrew.gm.nelson@gmail.com

Andrew Nelson

Twitter: @https://twitter.com/ANelsonMining

andrew.gm.nelson@gmail.com

Disclaimer:

Readers are advised that the material contained herein is solely for information purposes. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and due diligence, and/or obtain professional advice. Nothing contained herein constitutes a representation by the publisher, nor a solicitation for the purchase or sale of securities. The information contained herein is based on sources which the publisher believes to be reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate, and does not purport to be a complete statement or summary of the available data. Any opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. The owner, editor, writer and publisher and their associates are not responsible for errors or omissions. They may from time to time have a position in the securities of the companies mentioned herein, and may change their positions without notice. (Any significant positions will be disclosed explicitly. This article is not intended to meet your specific individual investment needs and it is not tailored to your personal financial situation. Nothing contained herein constitutes, is intended, or deemed to be — either implied or otherwise — investment advice. Thomas Humphreys, Pacific Website Company Inc., and other entities in which he has an interest, employees, officers, family, and associates may from time to time have positions in the securities or commodities covered in these publications or web site. We reserve the right to buy and sell such securities or commodities without notice to readers. While the information herein is believed to be accurate and reliable it is not guaranteed or implied to be so. The information herein may not be complete or correct; it is provided in good faith but without any legal responsibility or obligation to provide future updates. Neither Thomas Humphreys, nor anyone else, accepts any responsibility, or assumes any liability, whatsoever, for any direct, indirect or consequential loss arising from the use of the information in these publications or web site.

Forward-Looking Statements: This article may include certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "potential", "project", "target", "schedule", budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the potential of the Company's properties are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Company's expectations include actual exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, delays or inability to receive required approvals, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date of this article. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Always do your own due diligence. We seek safe harbor.