Africa’s Mineral Future Begins in School: WiM-Africa Advances NextGen Programmes
Folalumi Alaran in Abuja
Women in Mining Africa (WiM-Africa) has reaffirmed its commitment to building Africa’s future natural resource and minerals workforce through its ongoing NextGen programmes under the WiM-Africa Action Plan 2030.
The organisation stated this during a recent courtesy engagement with the Ministry of Education, Republic of Liberia, where it presented its NextGen programmes and explored opportunities for country-level collaboration, adaptation and possible integration within Liberia’s education system.
The engagement forms part of WiM-Africa’s broader Africa-wide implementation drive aimed at preparing children and young people for meaningful participation in the continent’s solid minerals, critical minerals and natural resource economy.
According to the organisation, Africa’s mineral transformation must go beyond resource extraction, investment and export opportunities to include deliberate investment in children, young people, teachers, school systems, TVET pathways, girls’ leadership, environmental responsibility and long-term human capital development.
WiM-Africa’s two flagship NextGen programmes are the Future Minerals Leaders Club and the NextGen Mining & Leadership Academy.
The Future Minerals Leaders Club is designed for primary school learners aged 8–13, introducing them to natural resources, minerals, environmental responsibility, safety awareness, leadership, teamwork, values and responsible citizenship through age-appropriate school club activities.
The NextGen Mining & Leadership Academy targets secondary school and TVET-linked learners aged 13–20, with a focus on responsible mining, geoscience awareness, ESG, mine safety, gender inclusion, leadership, communication, mineral value chains, enterprise pathways, career readiness and mentorship.
Speaking on the initiative, Executive Director of WiM-Africa, Dr. Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji, said Africa must begin preparing its future minerals workforce long before young people reach universities, technical institutions or 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,” Asokoro-Ogaji said.
She added that Ministries of Education across Africa have a foundational role in shaping the continent’s future minerals leadership pipeline.
“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 stated.
WiM-Africa said the NextGen programmes are being advanced under its Action Plan 2030 and are designed to be adaptable across African countries.
It explained that the programmes are not intended to disrupt existing national education priorities, but can be integrated into areas including school clubs, STEM promotion, TVET readiness, girls’ education, career guidance, environmental awareness, foundational learning enrichment and education-to-employment transition activities.
The organisation said it is seeking to work with Ministries of Education across Africa in adapting the programmes to individual countries’ education systems, development priorities, natural resources, school structures and local contexts.
The programmes also align with Africa’s broader solid minerals and critical minerals agenda, including the Africa Mining Vision, value addition, local beneficiation, responsible mineral governance, women and youth inclusion, green skills, ESG awareness and TVET readiness.
WiM-Africa said it has developed implementation manuals, concept notes, session modules, facilitator guidance, reporting tools, country adaptation templates and results framework structures for the two programmes.
The resources are being made available as free open-source materials for Ministries of Education, relevant MDAs, schools, rural schools, mining host communities, TVET institutions, women-in-mining organisations and implementing partners across Africa.
It added that schools, ministries, agencies and institutions using the manuals are encouraged to give appropriate credit to WiM-Africa and submit implementation reports to support continental tracking, learning, quality assurance and technical support.
WiM-Africa also reaffirmed its readiness to provide technical support through its pool of expert volunteers, including virtual training-of-trainers for teachers, school focal persons, volunteers and implementing teams where funding is unavailable.
The organisation called on Ministries of Education, government MDAs, schools, TVET institutions, local governments, districts, counties, states, rural education authorities and mining host communities across Africa to join the movement to prepare the next generation for leadership in critical minerals and natural resource transformation.
It also invited development finance institutions, philanthropic organisations, foundations, mining companies, education-sector partners and development agencies to partner with Ministries of Education and relevant MDAs to support national adaptation, piloting and scale-up of the NextGen programmes.
WiM-Africa maintained that every African child, whether in a mineral-bearing community or not, deserves to understand the value of natural resources, environmental stewardship, national development and opportunities across the continent’s mineral and natural resource value chains.
The organisation said it remains committed to working with African governments, Ministries of Education, schools, TVET institutions, women-in-mining organisations, development partners and private-sector actors to build a continent-wide pipeline of informed, confident, responsible and leadership-ready young Africans.