The spotlight falls on youth in mining as the 2022 Mining Indaba comes to an end

13 May 2022: The final day of the 2022 Mining Indaba brought together a fascinating group of speakers from the legal and engineering industries, as well as academics and members of parliament, including the Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane. The key focus of the penultimate day of the conference was youth in mining, with a specific emphasis on the skills that are needed to build a thriving career in the industry and how an enabling environment can be created for aspiring young leaders in the sector.

Wrapping up his thoughts on the final day of the Mining Indaba, National Head of Mining and Audit Partner at Forvis Mazars, Thinus De Vries offered the following comment: “The South African mining sector of the future will be driven by ‘specialist generalists.’ While technical skills are and will continue to be sought after, the sector’s future leaders will need to be skilled communicators, diligent planners and courageous networkers who are willing to tackle difficult issues head on. Youth will therefore need to go above and beyond academia to become well-rounded individuals that have an acute appreciation of the role that the industry can play in South Africa’s economic development.”

A prominent part of the discussion around youth in mining involved a session that centered on The Youth Leaders Programme – an initiative that aims to recruit and engage emerging talent from the African continent who are exploring the possibility of a career in the mining sector. The session brought together university students, young professionals and senior leaders in mining, government and civil society.

De Vries welcomed the initiative, agreeing that the Forvis Mazars Youth Employment Initiative’s vision is aligned, aiming to address the socio-economic issue of unemployment and lack of skills in South Africa. “We identify willing youth from designated groups and provide them with an extensive job readiness training programme to expose them to proper job support. Knowledge sharing is one of the most powerful tools that mining companies and the public sector can use to build the youth-driven workforce of the future.”

He added, “as industry role-players, we cannot relegate the responsibility of educating the youth to institutions of learning. We have a collective responsibility to bolster traditional education initiatives with mentorship programmes, networking opportunities and widely accessible training programmes.”

Echoing the prevailing sentiments of a few of the day’s speakers, De Vries advocates for both an “outward and inward approach to ESG.” Much of the discussion at this year’s Mining Indaba centred on issues relating to environmental and social sustainability – a greener future for one of South Africa’s most important industries. However, as one panel discussion highlighted, there is an inward dimension to ESG that needs to be considered.

Key regional and global trends facing mining lawyers working in Africa were identified and discussed as part of the Indaba’s General Counsel Forum. The Forum shed light on corporate culture and the role of in-house counsel in managing and providing for the needs of mining workforces. The fact that governance across the sector needs to increase its focus on building long-term value amongst all company stakeholders was one of the key takeouts from the session.

Furthermore, as De Vries adds, there is more to be said about how essential it is for mining companies to cultivate a working culture that is both attractive to aspiring young leaders and conducive to their growth.

As he concludes, “research continues to demonstrate that young people – particularly Generation Z’s and millennials are attracted to companies that share their values and have an impact-driven mindset. Again, the responsibility of promoting a culture of mutual collaboration, respect and growth does not fall solely on the shoulders of legal teams. The role of human resource executives and management teams on all levels will become more crucial in what we can call the ‘next normal.’ When ESG objectives are internalized and actioned on a practical level, we will see the change that the industry needs in order to take its place as a serious player in the global market.”

*This article appeared on EBnet here.

18/05/2022