Case Study: Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) achieves local value creation and procurement optimization in African copper and cobalt mining with Tableau Software

BGR opens up local value creation potential in African copper and cobalt mining using Tableau

The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), part of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, needed to quantify and visualize local procurement demand for copper and cobalt mines in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Working from field data on cash operating costs split across 34 purchase categories, BGR sought a way to turn cumbersome Excel reports into accessible, actionable information for policymakers, mine operators and suppliers to support localization and infrastructure planning.

BGR developed the LION model and published interactive visualizations on Tableau Public to show annual purchasing volumes (over US$5 billion annually) by category and location since 2013. The online, easy-to-update dashboards made market size and procurement trends transparent, helping governments target high-impact localization projects, enabling mines to optimize supplier strategies and guiding local and international investors; the approach increased reach roughly tenfold (1,200+ hits), drew positive stakeholder feedback and is being expanded to other commodities.

Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR)

Nils Handler

Research Associate