The youth were key to developing the African Critical Minerals sector Dr Milka Madahana, a senior lecturer at the School of Mining Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand told the second African Minerals Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre this week.
“Africa’s potential to become a global leader in the critical minerals industry depends on empowering its youth,” she said.
She suggested that some of the ways that the youth could be empowered would be for the government to invest in education and infrastructure to build a capable workforce by developing youth-focused employment schemes and apprenticeships.
The government should also encourage local content policies to ensure young Africans benefit from mineral resources, so that the youth are well-prepared for the critical minerals industry through education, skills development, and career opportunities.
In recent years there had been a lack of adequate technical training and education, while gender disparity and low youth involvement had made mining unattractive for the youth. This was exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure and limited access to mining technologies, resulting in low awareness of career opportunities in the mining sector.
To arrest this negative picture, she suggested that the teaching of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) courses from an early age would build a strong foundation for future careers in the critical minerals industry. This should be complemented by targeted interventions to encourage youth to enrol in specialised programs in universities and technical colleges with geology, mining engineering, metallurgy, chemical and related fields.
Once the theory had been absorbed, then internships and work-integrated learning opportunities should provide practical experience and industry exposure, so that the youth are equipped with technical skills such as mineral exploration, mining operations, mineral processing, and environmental management.
It was also important to develop essential soft skills like communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership to thrive in the workplace, while absorbing the technical skills. In the 21st century it was very important to foster digital literacy so that the youth could use technology effectively in the mining industry, which was becoming increasingly digitised. That would mean training the youth in data analysis, automation, and digital technologies relevant to the mining industry.
The mining industry could not do this alone, so collaboration between various stakeholders was required. Fostering strong collaborations between universities, research institutions, and mining companies to share knowledge and expertise should be encouraged. This should include mentorship programs to connect students with experienced professionals in the industry so that the tricks of the trade could be passed on.
There should also be collaboration with universities and research institutes such as Mintek to launch joint research projects to address industry challenges and drive innovation. The research would however be meaningless unless there was also investment in infrastructure development, such as roads, railways, and energy supply, to support mining operations as a mine was just a hole in the ground if it could not get its product to market.
“Strategic investment in human capital is key to building a sustainable, innovative, and competitive mining sector,” she said.
The African Energy and Economic Youth Council (AEEYC), which also presented its vision at the summit, is a registered non-profit organisation primarily operating in South Africa, aimed at empowering the youth in the mining and energy sectors.
They envision an Africa that is energy-secure, industrialised and economically resilient. This means that Africa would be a continent that harnesses its abundant energy resources to power its growth and development. They aim to create a future where energy access is a reality for all and Africa emerges as a new frontier of economic opportunity.
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