Women in Mining Africa (WiM-Africa) has reaffirmed its commitment to building Africa’s future natural resource and minerals workforce through its ongoing continental NextGen programs under the WiM-Africa Action Plan 2030.
The organisation stated that Africa’s mineral transformation must be driven not only by resource extraction, investment flows and export opportunities, but also by deliberate investment in children, young people, teachers, school systems, TVET pathways, girls’ leadership, environmental responsibility and long-term human capital development.
As part of this ongoing continental agenda, WiM-Africa recently held a courtesy engagement with the Ministry of Education, Republic of Liberia, to formally present its NextGen programs to the Ministry and explore country-level collaboration for adaptation, integration and possible scale-up within Liberia’s education system.
The engagement in Liberia forms part of WiM-Africa’s broader Africa-wide implementation movement and is aligned with the organisation’s mission to support Ministries of Education, relevant government agencies, schools, TVET institutions and education partners across African countries in preparing the next generation for meaningful participation in the solid minerals, critical minerals and natural resource economy.
WiM-Africa’s two flagship NextGen programs are the WiM-Africa Future Minerals Leaders Club and the WiM-Africa NextGen Mining & Leadership Academy.
The WiM-Africa Future Minerals Leaders Club is designed for primary school learners aged 8–13. It introduces children to natural resources, minerals, environmental responsibility, safety awareness, leadership, teamwork, values and responsible citizenship through age-appropriate school club activities.
The WiM-Africa NextGen Mining & Leadership Academy is designed for secondary schools and TVET-linked institutions, targeting learners aged 13–20. The Academy focuses on responsible mining, geoscience awareness, ESG, mine safety, gender inclusion, leadership, communication, mineral value chains, enterprise pathways, career readiness and mentorship.
Speaking on the continental relevance of the programs, Dr. Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji, Executive Director of WiM-Africa, stated that Africa must begin preparing its future minerals workforce long before young people reach university, 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.”
She further noted that Ministries of Education across Africa have a foundational role to play 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.”
WiM-Africa emphasised that the NextGen programs are already being advanced as part of its Action Plan 2030 and are intended to be adaptable across African countries. The Liberia engagement therefore represents a country-level opportunity to introduce the model formally to the Ministry of Education, identify areas of alignment, and explore how the programs can be adapted to Liberia’s education priorities, school systems, TVET pathways and natural resource development context.
The organisation explained that the programs are not designed to disrupt existing national education priorities or operate only as standalone initiatives. Rather, they are flexible, school-based and modular interventions that can be integrated into existing program components, including school clubs, STEM promotion, TVET readiness, girls’ education, career guidance, environmental awareness, foundational learning enrichment and education-to-employment transition activities.
WiM-Africa recognises that Ministries of Education across Africa already have priority programs, ongoing reforms and sector implementation commitments. The organisation therefore seeks to work with Ministries in a practical and non-disruptive manner, adapting the NextGen programs to each country’s education system, development priorities, dominant natural resources, school structures and local context.
The programs 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, TVET readiness and the transition from raw resource extraction to knowledge, innovation and leadership.
WiM-Africa has developed implementation manuals, concept notes, session modules, facilitator guidance, reporting tools, country adaptation templates and results framework structures for the two programs. These resources are being made available as free open-source materials for Ministries of Education, relevant MDAs, public and private schools, rural schools, mining host communities, TVET institutions, women-in-mining organisations and implementing partners across Africa.
Schools, Ministries, agencies and institutions that use the manuals are encouraged to give appropriate credit to WiM-Africa and to submit implementation reports through the reporting link provided in the manuals. Reports may include activity updates, school reports, photos, attendance records, implementation progress and lessons learned. This will support continental tracking, visibility, learning, quality assurance and technical support.
WiM-Africa also reaffirmed its readiness to provide technical support through its pool of expert volunteers, including support from Dr. Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji and other specialists. Where funding is unavailable, WiM-Africa will provide virtual technical assistance, including Zoom-based training-of-trainers for teachers, school focal persons, volunteers and implementing teams.
The organisation is calling on Ministries of Education, relevant government MDAs, schools, TVET institutions, local governments, districts, counties, states, rural education authorities and mining host communities across Africa to join the ongoing movement to raise the next generation of African children who will lead the future of critical minerals and natural resource transformation.
WiM-Africa further invited development finance institutions, philanthropic organisations, foundations, private-sector mining companies, education-sector partners and development agencies interested in Africa’s growth to partner with Ministries of Education and relevant MDAs to support national adaptation, piloting and scale-up of the NextGen programs.
According to WiM-Africa, whether a school is located in a mineral-bearing community or not, every African child deserves to understand the value of natural resources, the importance of environmental stewardship, the role of education in national development and the opportunities available across Africa’s mineral and natural resource value chains.
WiM-Africa 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.
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