Chronicle Editor
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
GWANDA State University (GSU) in collaboration with the Young Miners Foundation (YMF) is working on establishing a model gold mine where students from different institutions attend mining initiatives.
The model gold mine is also meant for tertiary students to appreciate the gold mining industry and they will be able to do work-related programmes there.
The two institutions have already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to pave way for the establishment of the model mine as well as other mining-related innovative developmental programmes.
Under Education 5.0, institutions of higher learning are expected to champion teaching, research, community services, innovation and industrialisation, a major shift from Education 3.0, which was only limited to teaching, research and community services.
GSU Information, Marketing and Public Relations director Mrs Moreblessings Ndhlovu-Nkomo said their role in the partnership would be to provide strategic and policy guidance, research expertise, teaching and laboratory facilities.
“We will also provide short courses and degrees in exploration, mining and mineral beneficiation, while also identifying and seconding GSU students, technologists and engineers to work with YMF.
“The roles of YMF in this partnership are to provide technical support in the design, specification and setting up of the laboratories and workshops. They will also provide technical support in the design, specification and setting up of start-up mining enterprises,” she said.
She said YMF will provide technical leadership and expertise in mining research and development, technology transfer, commercialisation, as well as funding for YMF strategic programmes.
Mrs Ndhlovu-Nkomo said with GSU situated in the mineral-rich province of Matabeleland South, their Epoch Mine Campus positions the university as a mining destination as it sits on the formerly BNC Mining Company reserves.
GSU chairperson for the Department of Mining Engineering, Mr Desire Jaibes, said the university was committed to conducting educational workshops and public lectures that are meant to equip the surrounding communities with sustainable mining practices.
“Education 5.0 is anchored on five pillars which are teaching, research, community engagement, innovation and industrialisation. GSU is a teaching and research powerhouse, while YMF in partnering with GSU will then automatically benefit from these two pillars,” he said.
YMF chief executive officer (CEO) Mr Payne Kupfuwa said the collaboration was key to forming synergies between young mining entrepreneurs and the academia.
“The initial concept behind the MoU is to ensure that we start educating students at universities and institutions of higher learning on the importance of formalisation and professionalisation of the small-scale mining sector which in itself should be approached as a business, not as a poverty-driven initiative or a get rich quick scheme,” he said.
“This will ensure that even if students fail to get jobs at big mining houses as per their expectations they will be able to establish and find themselves operating small-scale mining projects professionally and formally to ensure that they grow from small to medium and to large with time.”
Mr Kupfuwa said by establishing a model gold mine, students will get in-depth knowledge on how to run a more formalised and professional small-scale mining enterprise.
“Together with GSU we will come up with innovative, effective and efficient ways to ensure that small-scale mining grows. So that it also becomes more profitable and more productive to reach the optimum exploitation of the different minerals mined by small-scale miners.”
He said as YMF, they have created several small companies run by young miners’ membership, with one of them being Bulawayo-based Gweja Enterprises a private company that will be administering some of the projects under the partnership with GSU.
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