2295 Prepared within the framework of the World Mining Congress 2026, this paper addresses a specific question: how has a Peruvian mining company such as Compañía de Minas Buenaventura generated sustained economic, social, and environmental value for more than seven decades in a developing country, while contributing to territorial integration and to the broader process of national development and decentralization, and how do these capabilities enable sustained and reliable mineral production in complex operating environments? In the Peruvian context, a formal mining project, far from being an isolated enclave, operates within an economy predominantly oriented toward services, whose dynamics depend significantly on productive linkages with other sectors, including construction, metalworking, and specialized services, among others. Through these linkages, economic activity is stimulated and opportunities are created, particularly for populations located outside major urban centers, in high Andean regions where other productive activities face structural constraints. From a macroeconomic perspective, mining in Peru underpins key national indicators. The sector contributes, on average, 15% of gross domestic product, represents approximately 16% of total private investment, accounts for 60% of exports, and generates around 20% of corporate tax revenues. It also represents nearly half of the country’s electricity consumption. In terms of employment, according to official data from the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the mining sector generated 280,000 jobs in 2025. This impact is amplified by a significant multiplier effect. For every direct mining job, an average of eight indirect jobs are generated across the value chain, according to estimates by the Peruvian Institute of Economics (IPE). Within this framework, the case of Buenaventura, a Peruvian company founded in 1953 in Huancavelica, provides a relevant lens through which to examine the challenges described above. With more than 73 years of experience, operations in eight regions of the country, and a history shaped by demanding and shifting social, political, and economic contexts, the company offers a concrete perspective on how to sustain a long-term activity in a complex environment such as Peru. Its experience makes it possible to analyze the strategic decisions adopted throughout contemporary national history and to observe how mining can contribute to sustainable development. This paper proposes to examine this case study through a historical and applied approach, with the objective of identifying practical lessons associated with long-term value creation in mining. The analysis aligns with the pillars proposed by the World Mining Congress, namely trust, transformation, and technology, understood as dimensions that are progressively built through strategic decisions, organizational practices, and observable results. Drawing on the Buenaventura case, the paper seeks to contribute to the debate on the role of formal, responsible mining in developing economies, and on the conditions required for such contributions to be sustainable and to translate into tangible improvements in quality of life and enhanced national competitiveness. 2. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK: HISTORY, TRAJECTORY, AND LONG-TERM VALUE CREATION Analyzing the trajectory of a mining company that has operated for more than seventy years requires a conceptual framework capable of explaining how strategic decisions are made under changing conditions and extended investment horizons. In activities such as mining, particularly in the Peruvian context, where productive, financial, and social cycles unfold over decades, history constitutes a central explanatory variable of corporate performance. According to estimates by the Peruvian Institute of Economics (IPE), a mining project may take up to forty years to materialize, from initial exploration to the commencement of commercial production, underscoring the relevance of historical analysis in this sector. Academic literature on long-standing companies converges on the idea that continuity over time is built through the accumulation of coherent and consistent practices rather than isolated successes. James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, in Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, emphasize the
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