In December 2023, UQ International Development partnered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to deliver a highly significant program that brought senior and middle management personnel from 17 African nations to Australia.
The University of Queensland (UQ) was excited to support the first delivery of an Australia Awards Africa (AAA) program since 2019, following a long and successful history of delivering development impact through AAA programs since 2012. Led by UQ with contributions from The University of Western Australia and Curtin University, this bespoke program was delivered over 3 months including a 3-week visit to Australia with pre- and post-course sessions delivered online.
Participants had transformative experiences through their engagement and mentoring with course leaders. They shared that a highlight for them was the opportunity to engage with experiential learning possibilities through spending time at mine sites and engaging with industry leaders. Travelling to Kalgoorlie, participants visited the Super Pit (gold ore-mining) and, south of Perth, Alcoa’s Bauxite and Alumina mine to learn more about their land-rehabilitation activity. They also visited Fortescue’s Automation Centre, the Mineral Resources Group (MinRes), and the Carlisle Core Library in Perth.
UQ Sustainable Minerals Institute Senior Research Fellow and Course Leader Dr Lynda Lawson has engaged in 7 Australia Awards Africa courses to date, bringing to the program her expertise and regional knowledge. She observed that the 2023 course, conducted with Co-Course leader Associate Professor Kathryn Sturman, was transformative for the attendees, saying
“There was a lot of excellent networking, and the participants were able to see the benefits of mining in Perth all around them – it is a beautiful city. The most outstanding visit was when we went through the West Australian Carlisle Core Library. This library catalogues and stores significant drill cores from mineral exploration in the state. The collection is so vast that the cores are stacked up to the ceiling in a large warehouse, with a forklift required to get to the very top."
As experienced practitioners, many participants had their own experiences and knowledge to contribute to the program, with one female participant from Guinea, a geologist, commenting on how gender norms of her country affect her experiences today.
She shared that she had never been able to go out to the field and practice as a geologist before now, and was excited to see the drill core collection because the drill core tells a story about the earth’s history.
Integral to participation in this course is the development of a Reintegration Action Plan, which is an individual plan that identifies at least one area of change that can be undertaken within the participants' organisation. Participants develop their Reintegration Action Plan during the 3-month program with support from their mentors, utilising knowledge they have gained along the way, ready to be implemented upon return to their home country.
However, sometimes participants’ ambition and goals require their Reintegration Action Plans to continue developing and changing to ensure the impacts are sustainable. Geoffrey Ojur Odur is a lawyer from Uganda employed by the African Center for Energy and Mineral Policy. In 2018, he undertook the Australia Awards Africa Short Course on Local Economic and Social Development in the Extractives. In early 2024, 5 years after he first began the implementation of change following the program, he reported on how these changes had significant impact for one disadvantaged community in Uganda.
Mr Odur’s project has changed the social, economic and cultural status of the Karmoja community, a historically disadvantaged group. His plan was predicated on the formation of a community-managed development trust to manage their mineral-rich land. While it has always attracted mines and investors — it was ‘previously a land grab, without fair consultation’, Mr Odur said.
With the management plan Mr Odur developed following his participation in the Australia Awards program, the community successfully formed a trust to deal with investors, which protects their land, allows for negotiation, and has created more money for equitable distribution amongst the community in which it serves.
“The benefits for the community are already visible in health, water and scholarships to sponsor children’s attendance at school and university. My Reintegration Action Plan has succeeded greatly on all the tenets looked at in the course,” said Mr Odur.
“I have become an expert in community organisation and engagement in extractive industry to the extent that other communities are approaching me to help them organise their communities in a similar manner to the Community Development Trust in Karamoja. Now I am pursuing a master’s degree in energy economy.”
Just 3 months after conclusion, participants of the 2023-2024 short course have also reported positive outcomes. Ms Mariam Jaaji, a participant from Ghana, proposed to engage miners in the field as part of her Reintegration Action Plan. By incorporating innovations such as the use of mobile phones to educate local communities about the process of acquiring Mine Support Service Registration and Operating Permits, Mariam hopes to see practical outcomes for local miners in the next 6 to 12 months.
“Mariam’s growing knowledge of GEDSI issues has enabled her to grow her networks and to learn from the gender section of her organisation to apply for extra funding to assist her field trip out to see these groups in the field”, said Dr Lawson.
Time in Australia has assisted Ms Mariam Jaaji in growing networks and her knowledge of mining best practice.
“I was so delighted to be there because, I have asked for a long time, but only been to the mine once before. In Perth we visited 2 or 3 mines and in Kalgoorlie went to the Super Pit and, south of Perth, Alcoa. If I couldn't take anything from what was taught in class, I would still have that. It was very informative and something we don't really get to see in Ghana.”
The crucial importance of mining in Africa is likely to accelerate with the transition of global energy and the increasing requirement for critical minerals.
“Africa will be at the heart of that new focus. The Australia Awards Africa short courses always spark a high level of engagement and what they achieve is often outstanding,” said Dr Lawson.
For more information on other UQ global development programs delivering impact, visit the Global Development Hub page.
Above left: Dr Lynda Lawson, Associate Professor Kathryn Sturman, and the Australia Awards participants
