Maputo, Mozambique, 15 December, 2013 – As Africa’s minerals sector continues to grow in leaps and bounds, there is a dire need to match this growth with essential skills that meet the demands of the industry, according to Treasure Maphanga, Director of Trade and Industry at the African Union Commission.
Speaking at a roundtable with leading partners in skills development during the 3rd African Union Conference of Ministers Responsible for Mineral Resources Development in Maputo, Mozambique, Ms. Maphanga underscored the importance of skills development, noting that human and institutional capacities are part of the Africa Mining Vision’s action plan.
She also stressed that mining skills have traditionally been defined in a narrow manner; and yet the skills needed to implement the Africa Mining Vision require a homegrown approach and go beyond engineering and geology. Thus, said Ms. Maphanga, the implementation of the Africa Mining Vision (AMV) will require partnership and coordination of efforts in the development of additional skills including, “technical skills, human rights, law, trade, community affairs, strategic planning.”
The Roundtable underscored that the sustainable management of Africa’s abundant natural resources provides African countries the opportunity to drive transformative development. However, as the Africa Mining Vision (AMV) notes, institutions supporting mineral development in Africa are generally weak and are often not suited to meeting the AMV’s objectives of broad-based, sustainable and equitable development. These gaps are found in government departments as well as in the trades needed to sustainably grow the minerals and related sectors.
Mr. Lebogang Motlana, Director, UNDP’s Regional Service Centre for Africa stressed the importance of capacity development as the required foundation to nurture and harness the existing skills rather than capacity building, which entails starting from a clean slate. He also urged partners to engage stakeholders in the long term.
A number of initiatives and organizations from Australia, Canada and Chile and within Africa participated in the Roundtable; and shared best practices on how to enhance coordination at the continental, regional and national levels including understanding the incentives that need to be in place for the various stakeholder groups to coordinate on skills development.
The African Minerals Development Centre’s interim coordinator, Mr. Wilfred Lombe stressed the need for an ongoing dialogue that takes stock of the implementation of the Africa Mining Vision. He also noted the need to improve coordination of skills development through establishing a virtual network for the exchange of experiences and collective learning. This, said, Lombe, could help in keeping the dialogue alive.
For his part, Oliver Maponga, also from the AMDC elaborated on the efforts in place by the ECA to offer courses on the minerals sector, including contract negotiations, beneficiation, socio-economic transformation; community development and sustainable development. Maponga called for more partnerships to expand the course offerings.
The roundtable was moderated by Ms. Fatima Denton, Officer in Charge of the Special Initiatives Division at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and Mr. Antonio Pedro Director of the ECA’s Subregional Office based in Lusaka.