Sakariya is leading the way with digital innovation in critical minerals exploration to both advance India’s NCMM goals, and tackle industry risks highlighted by EY.
Sakariya Mines and Minerals is setting a new standard for Indian mining companies with a digital-first approach to help mitigate global mining risks and strengthen India’s position in the critical minerals market.
By embracing Seequent’s solutions and aligning with National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) objectives, their aim is to secure critical mineral supply chains – both domestic and international – and strengthen value chains through improved technology workflows.
The India based company, established in 2017, focuses on mining and mineral exploration, particularly in strategic minerals like Gold and critical minerals like Graphite and is operating in Tanzania with plans to expand into other African countries and Saudi Arabia.
Sakariya’s dedicated in-house team oversees all field operations, leveraging Seequent’s exploration workflow to enable accurate, centralised data management and advanced geoscience modelling.
Integrating a robust digital workflow from the earliest stages of each project ensures consistency and integrity between field data and geological models right from the start.
We spoke with ten of Sakariya’s talented team to find out more:
How does Sakariya’s digital-first exploration approach align with national priorities around technology adoption and critical mineral security?
Supriya Das – Director, Technical and BD
Sakariya’s digital-first approach aligns with India’s National Critical Mineral Mission, which aims to secure critical minerals through overseas projects and partnerships.
Graphite supports long-term strategies related to energy transition and industrial demand, while gold provides portfolio resilience and economic stability. Together, they create a balanced, strategic portfolio.
Our graphite projects contribute to the global supply chain, and our adherence to global reporting standards like JORC and NI 43-101 ensures our assets are robust, transparent, and investment-ready, supporting India’s strategic mineral access.
Additionally, our international operations serve as a live innovation platform, refining digitally structured workflows in real-world conditions. These process-driven systems are highly transferable.
If we expand into India, we’ll bring proven digital workflows and compliance standards, shortening the learning curve and reducing execution risk.
The Sakariya team review drill core samples from the Tanga Graphite Project (Source: Sakariya).
Risk management and positioning: The EY mining and metals outlook for 2026 identifies increasing operational complexity, cost pressures and digital disruption as key industry risks. Which of these are most relevant for junior explorers in emerging markets?
Sudipta Chanda – Principal, Geoscience and Datascience
Operational complexity and cost pressures are top concerns. Exploration budgets are limited, logistics can be challenging, and geological uncertainty is high. In such conditions, weak data control or inefficient workflows can quickly escalate financial and execution risk.
How does a digital-first workflow help mitigate these risks? A digital-first approach reduces reliance on fragmented data and manual reconciliation, lowering technical error risk. Structured geological interpretation supports better capital discipline and targeted decision-making.
How has structured geological modelling improved confidence in resource estimates? Centralised data management and controlled modelling environments enable traceability and validation, reducing our reconciliation cycles and strengthening confidence in resource estimates while supporting compliance with international standards.
What competitive advantage does digital innovation provide? For junior companies, time is a critical resource. Time is money. Delays caused by data errors, reconciliation issues, or repeated interpretation cycles directly impact our budgets and project momentum. By reducing manual errors and minimising rework, we can help preserve both time and capital.
Digital transformation and adoption: What motivated Sakariya to adopt Seequent’s solutions right from the start?
Susnata Poddar – Manager, Geology
Rahul Debnath – Associate Manager, Geology
As Sakariya’s projects expanded, it became clear that manual, spreadsheet-based workflows were no longer sufficient. We needed a centralised digital platform for geological data, dynamic 3D modelling, and disciplined decision-making.
Seequent’s suite of mining solutions; Leapfrog Geo,Leapfrog Edge and MX Deposit offered us a technically sound, audit-ready framework, enhancing data integrity and reducing uncertainty as we scaled.
Leapfrog Geo enables fast 3D geological modelling of the underground through efficient workflows and rapid data processing, while Leapfrog Edge supports visual resource estimation within the connected workflow.
MX Deposit acts as a centralised, audit-ready repository for exploration datasets, helping to minimise inconsistencies across records. Combined, these platforms deliver a seamless process from data acquisition to robust geological interpretation.
Choosing this digital workflow from the very beginning allowed us to establish robust data standards and governance without the disruption of later transitions. Collaboration and shared model development became integral, with data validation, version control, and transparency embedded in our workflow.
Also, Seequent’s training helped align our team with best practices, supporting a scalable and disciplined approach from the outset.
The Sakariya team prepares for field work (Source: Sakariya).
Workflow integration: How does Leapfrog Geo, Leapfrog Edge and MX Deposit support data management and interpretation?
Sabir A Chowdhury – Manager, Geology
Arshi Dutta – Graduate Geologist
As geology is uncertain and exploration budgets are tight, the real power of a digital workflow lies in its ability to rapidly test and validate geological hypotheses.
Seequent’s Leapfrog Geo, Leapfrog Edge and MX Deposit together provide us with an integrated framework for structured data management and geological interpretation.
Using Leapfrog for dynamic 3D modelling is crucial in exploration because it helps visualise mineral trends and structural patterns, making our decision-making faster and clearer. We can quickly see how new drillhole data affects our understanding, test different ideas, and decide on drill targets.
While MX Deposit’s centralised digital workflow serves as a single, reliable source of information, reducing manual work and making data easily accessible to all technical team members.
Seequent’s tools have been integrated into our technical review and reporting processes, so every decision and communication – inside or outside the organisation – uses the same consistent dataset. This traceability and auditability enhance both governance and transparency.
Measurable Impact: What are some of the tangible benefits of digital adoption?
Saurav Chakraborty – Associate Manager, Geophysics
Somdeb Duttamal – Senior Manager, Mining Geology
We quickly observed operational improvements. MX Deposit centralised and validated our data, reducing duplication and manual reconciliation, while Leapfrog Geo enabled faster 3D geological modelling updates and more accurate drill targeting.
Teams now work from a shared dataset, streamlining collaboration and shortening decision cycles. Adopting digital workflows from the outset ensured consistent, efficient drill targeting and timely model updates, allowing for faster technical and investment decisions. We’ve seen:
- Reduced time for data validation and reconciliation
- Faster model updates after receiving assay results
- Quicker turnaround between data receipt and technical review
- More consistent data quality across exploration datasets
- Optimised drilling budgets with dynamic geological modelling
- Increased confidence in drill targets through structured interpretation
- More efficient technical reviews using up-to-date models
Drilling for Gold exploration in Tanzania (Source: Sakariya).
Stakeholder engagement: How have Seequent solutions enhanced collaboration among your technical team, external advisors, and investors?
Seequent’s solutions allow our teams to work from centralised, validated datasets, reducing discrepancies and preventing parallel data versions with live model reviews in Leapfrog improving alignment and technical discussions.
Validating our datasets in MX Deposit facilitates transparent sharing with external consultants and decision-makers and helps to reduce clarification cycles. While Leapfrog’s 3D visualisation strengthens confidence in geological interpretations and improves investor communication.
Digital modelling also enhances our readiness for international reporting standards by ensuring traceability, documentation, and technical defensibility allowing us to create and support audit trails.
Future Outlook: How do you see digital exploration workflows supporting Sakariya’s transition from explorer to developer?
Organised, traceable datasets and geological interpretations streamline the move to mine planning, feasibility studies, and technical reviews, improving integration and reducing disruption as our projects advance.
Seequent’s tools will remain central to upcoming projects and as we expand drilling and progress toward resource development, enable real-time updates and disciplined planning.
The Sakariya team uses Leapfrog software to model the Tanga Graphite Deposit (Source: Sakariya).
Are you exploring integration of advanced technologies such as machine learning or AI within your geological workflows?
Yes, we are actively evaluating the integration of advanced analytics, including machine learning, into our geological workflows.
Our immediate focus has been on building a clean, structured, and validated dataset through MX Deposit and disciplined modelling practices. High-quality data is a prerequisite for any meaningful AI or machine learning application.
As our datasets grow, we see potential for machine learning in areas such as geochemical anomaly detection, pattern recognition in mineralisation trends, and drill target prioritisation.
However, we view AI as a decision-support tool rather than a replacement for geological expertise.
How is Sakariya setting an industry example for junior explorers in emerging markets?
Sakariya’s adoption of digital solutions demonstrates how aligning technology with national priorities like the NCMM can strengthen both organisational performance and industry credibility.
Our success in integrating data and enabling clearer insights sets a standard for junior explorers in emerging markets, by highlighting the importance of modern geoscience workflows for building trust, attracting investment, and supporting resilient mining operations.