Not your average mining course – Murdoch is powering progress, sustainably

Nigerian political leaders and public officials are taking part in a Murdoch-led program this month that is hoped to reshape mining on the other side of the globe.

Murdoch University’s School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences together with a team from School of Mathematics, Statistics, Chemistry and Physics are working with 11 West African participants on key extraction, social and sustainable mining practises.

The move comes as Nigeria, which historically has been heavily dependent on oil and gas, seek to diversify its resource sector.

The two-week short course marks the beginning of a strategic partnership that will expose participants to Western Australia’s advanced critical minerals sector, with sessions covering extractive metallurgy, stakeholder engagement and the challenges of sustainable development in resource-driven economies.

At the heart of the initiative is the belief that any new mining project must balance technical excellence with strong social frameworks and environmental protection.

Nigeria’s Minister for Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, officially opened the course this week at Murdoch’s South Street campus, which sits on the lands of the Whadjuk and Binjareb people. 

Yesterday, the delegation witnessed a traditional Smoking Ceremony before meeting with senior University leaders.

MU Social Science expert Dean Aszkielowicz said the course is a blend of technical, social and environmental. 

“Mining is not just cutting a hole in the ground,” Dr Aszkielowicz said. “Successful resource industries acknowledge that extractive operations take place in the context of the need to understand sustainable development and community engagement.”

“That is done through engaging early with key stakeholders, transparency, hearing concerns and addressing them.  

“Really it is about having government, the community and industry being equal stakeholders in a project.”

The Nigerian group will shadow their West Australian counterparts at WA’s Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, visit the state’s drill core sample archives and work with academics, including Hans Oskierski from the Sustainable Geochemistry and Mineral Science (GeMS) research group. 

The course is delivered in partnership with the Western Australian Government, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and industry stakeholders. 

Murdoch University Vice Chancellor Andrew Deeks said the visit underscored the importance of capacity building in the resource industry.

“The visit supports international collaboration in the resource industry and aligns with Murdoch’s commitment to foster ethical, sustainable, and inclusive engagement activities with communities to build trust and demonstrate citizenship and impact through education and research,” VC Deeks said.