The young scientists shared insights on their scientific research aimed at enhancing the sustainability of the mineral resources sector.
On Friday, October 18, at the Empress Catherine II St. Petersburg Mining University, the results of the forum-competition "Current Issues in Subsoil Use" were announced. This open discussion platform allows young researchers, primarily from BRICS member states as well as from the African continent, to present their work to experts and exchange experiences with their peers from other countries.
At the heart of this intellectual competition, which was part of the larger international conference "Mineral Resources as the Foundation of National Sovereignty: Workforce and Innovation Environment," is the Olympic principle: "It's not about winning, but about participating." In each section, five laureates are chosen, preserving the competitive format while emphasizing that the main goal is not simply to identify the best but to motivate a broad pool of talented youth towards professional growth and further development as established scientists or engineers.
Braima Daniel Elikem and Barnor-Arthur Jason, researchers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, focus their scientific interests primarily on finding the optimal path to resource sovereignty. This is a particularly sensitive issue for Africa. For many decades, the rights to explore and exploit the continent's mineral deposits were delegated to Western companies.
These companies took the majority of the profits, channeling only small royalties into national budgets. African nations lacked the necessary personnel and technologies to change the situation. Although there is still a shortage of these resources today, the mentality of the local population has shifted—whereas before, they saw the dominance of Global North corporations as an unavoidable evil, they now understand that this situation is unacceptable.
«Africa is often described as a paradox—a continent rich in natural resources that provide little benefit to its population. Kwame Nkrumah, in his seminal work Neocolonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism, highlights the absurdity of this situation. He emphasizes that the vast amounts of mineral resources extracted from our land continue to enrich external players, while doing almost nothing to improve the quality of life for indigenous peoples», - said Braima Daniel Elikem.
Their research, titled "Strategic Pathways to Resource Sovereignty: A Value Chain Structure for African Mineral Development," was presented by Braima Daniel Elikem and co-author Barnor-Arthur Jason during the session "Economic and Environmental Issues of Resource Management: Solutions for Sustainable Development." The young researchers emphasized that the continent they call home is rich in valuable minerals that hold significant importance in today’s technological world.
Diamonds, gold, oil, natural gas, uranium, platinum, copper, cobalt, iron, bauxite, silver, and other raw materials make considerable contributions to government revenues. However, various unfavorable factors prevent these resources from contributing more effectively to reducing unemployment, poverty, and the lack of access to electricity, water, and medical services for hundreds of millions of people. Among these factors are weak industry regulation by central authorities, a shortage of engineering professionals, and insufficient local investment.
«Our goal is to develop a model that enables the selection of optimal strategies in each specific case to build a sustainable and reliable economy by leveraging resource potential. This model aims to increase the efficiency of the value chain in the mining industry, ensuring that the main beneficiaries are the local population and businesses, rather than multinational corporations. Considering the current realities, these corporations must undoubtedly make more efforts to help create a reliable economic system in Africa», - explained Barnor-Arthur Jason.
In China, resource sovereignty issues are naturally not as prevalent. On the contrary, China is a key supplier of several strategic metals on the global market. For instance, Beijing accounts for nearly 90% of the world’s sales of rare earth elements. As a result, the focus areas for scientific research among young scholars in China are quite different.
For example, Yin Hong, a student at Northeastern University, is working on improving the reliability of underground construction projects. Last year, over 34 billion tons of various mineral resources were extracted in China, including 4.66 billion tons of coal, mostly through underground mining. Therefore, the issue of improving labor safety for miners holds a prominent place in the academic community of the Middle Kingdom.
«For objective research results, I applied 3D printing and digital image correlation (DIC) technology. "This method is used to measure deformations in both flat and volumetric materials to study the physical and mechanical characteristics of rock samples. I was able to conduct a comprehensive analysis of crack propagation and surface displacement when the layer was subjected to stress. I hope that the data I obtained will be useful as reference material for analyzing the stability of rock formations during tunnel construction and other underground structures»,- explained Yin Hong.
The research of young scientists from various countries also focused on pressing issues such as increasing the depth of mineral processing to create unique high-tech products, implementing resource-saving and digital technologies, improving energy efficiency, and minimizing the environmental impact of human activities.
It is worth noting that the International Forum-Competition of Young Researchers, "Current Issues of Subsoil Use," has been held at the Empress Catherine II St. Petersburg Mining University since 2005. For the past seven years, it has been organized by the UNESCO International Competence Center for Mining Engineering Education, which was established at the oldest technical university in Russia. This year's intellectual competition was included in the calendar of events for Russia's BRICS presidency.