African Minerals Development Centre signs collaboration agreement with Australian Institution
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) on Tuesday held a ceremony to mark the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Australian Institution of Mining for Development Centre (IM4DC) and the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC). Mark Sawers, Australian Ambassador to Ethiopia was a guest of honor to the ceremony.
The cooperation agreement will see the International Mining for Development Centre (IM4DC) bring together, for the next two years, expertise from the University of Western Australia and University of Queensland to assist the AMDC in its efforts to become a centre of excellence in minerals and development, one that is already contributing to Africa’s growing capacity in this area.
The agreement covers short courses on mining for development, joint research on topics of interest and mutual assistance between the two institutions, study tours and fellowships, peer-to-peer learning and skills development.
“Australia’s expertise in minerals and ensuring this leads to wider social and economic benefits, is widely recognized. We very much look forward to seeing significant progress in the areas covered by this agreement and sincerely hope that in two years, we will be here again to recognize the signing of another MOU to further the role of minerals in Africa’s transformation and the achievement of its development goals,” said Collen Kelapile, ECA's Chief of Staff and Acting Director of the Division of Administration.
Richard Slattery, Deputy Director of the IM4DC said that it was important that the African Mining Vision recognized that Africa’s mining potential could be translated into social and development benefits for its people. “However, it is also good that our institutions recognize the challenges to turning potential into tangible gains. We strongly encourage collaboration and networking to discuss our shared interest. We want to deliver programs that are mutually beneficial and encourage the promotion and validation of global standards and practices in the continent’s mining industry, for the benefits of all.”
Africa could certainly benefit from the experience of Australia, a mining giant, which has had its bad and good experiences. “Australia is ready to share that experience. Australia wants to see Africa succeed in its efforts to transform its mining industry. Such success will be beneficial to Australian mining companies in Africa, which account for US$47bn worth of potential investment on the continent.”
Minerals are a significant contributor to economic activity in Africa but questions remain as to whether minerals have contributed sufficiently to development on the continent. In February 2009, the African Union adopted the African Mining Vision (AMV), which aims for transparent, equitable and optimal exploitation of mineral resources to underpin broad-based sustainable growth and socio-economic development. The AMDC has been established as a joint initiative of the African Union Commission, ECA, African Development Bank, and United Nations Development Programme, to provide central and strategic coordinating capacity for implementing the AMV and the its Action Plan. The AMDC is housed by the ECA in Addis Ababa.