South Africa - Education for sustainable development in natural mineral resources management operation

The proposed operation is a Middle-Income Country (MIC) Grant of UA 205,950 to the Government of the Republic of South Africa to support the Education for Sustainable Development in Natural Minerals Resources Management (SNMRM) Project. The mining sector in South Africa has experienced a number of labour unrests and service delivery protests, indicating a strong need for ensuring that growth in the sector is made more inclusive. Further, the implications of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are not yet well understood for natural resources management in the country. The aim of the operation is to build project development and management capacity and advance knowledge in sustainable natural mineral resources development (SNMRD), specifically as regards the relevance of the newly adopted sustainable development goals (SDGs) for the minerals and extractives industries and associated infrastructure projects. This will be achieved through up-skilling of professionals in minerals resources management, and through the analysis of sustainability challenges and associated opportunities. The operation has three components: (i) Capacity-building in Sustainable Development in Minerals Resources Management; (ii) Internships to support capacity-building through acquisition of field and practical knowledge; and (iii) Analytical work on key sustainability challenges in the local minerals sector. The operation will be implemented over a period of two years (2016 and 2017).