Women Target Schools For Africa’s Next Mining Workforce

A group, Women in Mining Africa (WiM-Africa), has begun discussions with the Liberian Ministry of Education to introduce programmes that prepare young people for careers in mining and the broader natural resources sector.

The engagement in Monrovia is part of the organisation’s wider initiative to expose the continent’s children and young people to mining, geoscience, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), technical and vocational education and training (TVET), environmental responsibility and leadership.

The executive director of WiM-Africa, Dr Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji, said Africa needed to begin developing its future minerals workforce before young people reached tertiary institutions or entered the labour market.

“The future of Africa’s mineral and natural resource economy will not be determined only by what is in the ground. It will be determined by what is built in the minds of children and young people today,” she said.

She said ministries of education should play a central role in developing the human capital needed to support Africa’s minerals industry.

“The Ministry of Education is not peripheral to mining transformation. It is foundational. Africa must begin earlier — from primary school, secondary school, TVET, mentorship, school clubs and structured leadership exposure,” she said.

WiM-Africa is promoting two programmes: the Future Minerals Leaders Club for pupils aged 8 to 13, and the NextGen Mining & Leadership Academy for secondary school and TVET students aged 13 to 20.

The Future Minerals Leaders Club introduces pupils to natural resources, minerals, environmental responsibility, safety, leadership, and teamwork. At the same time, the academy focuses on responsible mining, geoscience, mine safety, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, gender inclusion, mineral value chains, and career development.

The organisation said the programmes were designed to complement existing education and skills-development initiatives and could be integrated into school clubs, STEM and TVET programmes, career guidance and environmental education.

It said the Liberia engagement would focus on adapting the programmes to the country’s education priorities, school system and natural resource development needs.

WiM-Africa said it had developed manuals and training materials for the programmes and was making them available to education ministries, schools, TVET institutions and other interested organisations.

The organisation also said it would provide technical assistance, including virtual training for teachers and programme facilitators.

The initiative comes as African countries seek to strengthen local skills and increase domestic participation in mineral value chains amid growing global demand for critical minerals.

WiM-Africa contended that early investment in education and skills development would help prepare young Africans to participate more effectively in the continent’s emerging minerals economy.