Participants at a regional technical cooperation (TC) training course on uranium exploration and mining, held 22-26 February 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, have examined connections between the Sustainable Development Goals and uranium exploration and mining.
Speaking at the opening of the course, Mr. Solomon Getachew, Director General of the Ethiopian Radiation Protection Authority (ERPA), noted, “The significance of this training is very crucial in understanding transformative technological and policy drivers to align uranium mining in the African region with UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
The Africa Mining Vision (AMV), adopted by Heads of State at the February 2009 African Union summit following the October 2008 meeting of African Ministers responsible for Mineral Resources Development, calls for a better integration of mining into development policies at local, national and regional levels. Among other goals, the AMV aims to move Africa from its historic role as an exporter of cheap raw materials to a new role as manufacturer and supplier of knowledge-based services. With some 20% of global uranium mining taking place in Africa, building capacity to help achieve AMV ambitions to add value to mining activities is a top priority.
Mr. Getachew also placed considerable emphasis on two means to meet the challenges elaborated in the AMV and the SDGs: information provision and financial incentivization.
“Sustainability information must be integrated into uranium resources and production practices”, he said. “This may include purchase of uranium preferentially from producers using leading practices.”
During the week, the training course participants reviewed connections between all 17 SDGs and uranium exploration and mining. Taking a regional perspective, the participants prioritized education, concluding that by investing in the education of exploration and mining specialists, by training and retaining key policy, regulatory and operational personnel, by learning to select the most sustainable, most cost-effective and most transformative technologies for exploration and mining, and by approaching all resources in a responsible manner, value-addition and waste reduction would result. The ‘added value’ approach brings with it a major new dividend: a significantly higher level of social acceptance for exploration and mining projects.
“Value addition is a state of mind,” one participant observed. “If I look at what I used to regard as a waste and see in it a resource, I have changed my state of mind, and I have transformed a liability into an asset. So transformation begins with me but has a very good effect on the people around me and the environment.”
Commenting on the importance of such training courses in the Africa region, IAEA technical officer Hari Tulsidas said, “We are seeing remarkable momentum developing in the region from these training courses and workshops, but people are also very realistic. It may take many years from early stage exploration to the point where a uranium mine opens. However participants know now what steps must be taken, and it is very encouraging to see how clearly the transformation of attitudes, for example to turning wastes into resources, is positively influencing requirements for eventual success. These are now well understood at leadership and operational levels and that is the critical first step in the right direction.”
The significance of this training is very crucial in understanding transformative technological and policy drivers to align uranium mining in the African region with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
