ANU Philippines Institute’s Post

Today I participated in an open conversation between the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and representatives from the Zambian Gov, namely His Excellency Chibamba Kanyama, Ambassador of the Republic of Zambia to the U.S., and Jito Kayumba, Special Assistant to the President of Zambia for Finance & Investment. The topic of this conversation was Strengthening U.S.-Zambia Minerals Cooperation. Immediately clear was the optimism of the Zambian Gov concerning their growing mining sector, through which, 40% of the state’s revenue is generated, with plans to upgrade capacity through international investment to quadruple profits by 2030. To reinforce the scale of this endeavour, it was highlighted that in the last three years alone, more investment has been drawn into Zambia than the previous 30 years combined. Much of this progress was attributed to President Hakinde Hichilema, who has been pivotal in introducing new policies designed to reduce investment volatility, including the introduction of the Lobito Corridor Project, providing an understanding between the U.S., Zambia, and the DRC, for battery supply chain development. Whilst interesting to hear the Zambian Gov's strategic plan for ensuring investment in the long-term, the big question was how this might benefit all Zambians. To answer this, the ambassador spoke about Zambia’s growing youth population and its need for employment opportunities and infrastructure development, which the Gov plans to address by ensuring investors incorporate development practices for the state and its workforce. Workers will be recruited from the Zambian population and trained locally, including skilled professionals and management, educated at Zambia’s universities. Further, funds from the growth of the mining sector will be used to provide free school places for all, ensuring the continued economic and social development of the state. This conversation follows a meeting I attended with the High Commissioner for the Republic of Cameroon to the UK. In both instances what is clear is that the African continent is taking back its ownership from the West regarding economic control and development. The practice of extracting African resources for deportation, refinement, and sale, is now being replaced by one of external investment in an internal process, owned and managed by the states of Africa which allows greater funding of local infrastructure and investment including employment and education. Many hurdles still exist, such as the fair distribution of energy between corporations and the local population, all too often drawn from shared yet ageing and inadequate infrastructure, or the ramifications of climate change. However, what is clear is that a long-term endeavour to enrich the African continent has begun, one which welcomes investment from the West, but not ownership. For those interested in this conversation a link to its recording is below. https://lnkd.in/eMBtVJMC

For Sudan Please share widely

[The 3rd in-person Meeting of the APRU Indigenous Knowledge Network in Santiago, Chile this November] The University of Melbourne leads the APRU Indigenous Knowledges Network. It includes 12 APRU member institutions from Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific. They are united to share knowledge, build connections between Indigenous and non-indigenous researchers, enhance teaching programs in Indigenous and First Nations studies, and position Indigenous knowledge and wisdom globally. This Network has held two in-person meetings, one in Chiapas (Mexico) and another in Melbourne (Australia). The third in-person Meeting of the APRU Indigenous Knowledge Network will take place in Santiago, Chile, from November 4 to 8, 2024, under the title "Indigenous Sciences/Indigenous Knowledge: Discussions and Contributions for a Common Future." The Universidad de Chile will play a central role as the host institution, coordinating various activities of dialogue and reflection to develop a collaboration agenda that contributes to positioning indigenous knowledge within the APRU Network and with other relevant institutions. This will include panels for conversation and the exchange of ideas and proposals, as well as discussions and dialogues about gender and intersectionality, Indigenous languages, and Indigenous knowledge and sciences, to propose a working agenda.   More: https://lnkd.in/gVaei-Ga    ---    #APRU #Indigenous 

🎓 CODESRIA has developed a draft bibliography of Thandika Mkandawire’s work. This invaluable resource compiles some of the finest contributions to Africa’s social science discourse. We hope scholars and researchers in Africa and beyond will find this compendium an essential reference to engage with. 🌍📖 👉 https://lnkd.in/eeHua4qU #SocialScience #ResearchResources #ThandikaMkandawire

Gùdia - Mary Jane Johnson is one of five authors who worked together to write the paper “Towards Reconciliation: 10 Calls to Action to Natural Scientists Working in Canada”. The paper was founded in frustration, friendship and hope. The calls are meant to help researchers move toward reconciliation. The authors focused on natural scientists because a common connection to the land should tie them more closely to Indigenous communities than currently exists. They also focused on natural sciences because of the underrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in this field. Scientists share in Canadians’ collective responsibility to feed the fires of reconciliation — to shift the power balance and meet the needs of Indigenous peoples and communities. The 10 calls to action outlined in the research paper translate the recommendations of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission into concrete actions and approaches scientists can take on an institutional and individual level. Download the paper (EN): https://lnkd.in/ghhckzVk Download the paper (FR): https://lnkd.in/gKAihxsF Carmen Wong Kate Hicks Lawrence Ignace Gùdia - Mary Jane Johnson Heidi Swanson #science #Reconciliation #NaturalScience #research #dobetter #canada

🌳 Meet Sam this #InternationalForestDay: the Earth Jurisprudence Practitioner who is working with Baka Indigenous Peoples to breathe new life into ‘the lungs of Africa’. Indigenous communities, like Sam’s own Nninong clan, have long lived in balance with the forests of the Congo Basin. But large areas were converted into palm oil and rubber plantations by British authorities and, after the colonial era, handed to the state as part of the Cameroon Development Corporation. The legacy of colonialism continues through logging, mining and poaching. This ‘development’ is unravelling the ancestral lands and thereby nutrition, medicine and refuge of 75 million people, the home of more other creatures than we can count, and the biggest forest carbon sink in the world. This new story of decolonisation from the African Earth Jurisprudence Collective is a tale of awakening, of the cycles that gifted Sam new beginnings from death, and of the path that he is helping us all to track towards recognising Earth’s best custodians. In the Baka's rich reciprocal relationship with the forest, there lies hope for reweaving the biocultural diversity that ensures abundance for the entire community of life. 🐘 We unpack the philosophy of Earth Jurisprudence, the work of the collective and more stories of decolonisation here: https://lnkd.in/epDjrj-x

Earlier today, I had the singular honor to join the league of panelists for the screening of Political Aspirants at the National Association of Earth and Minerals Science students, FUTA. It was quite a big time of scrutinizing applicants who had ventured into taking the forms for a post or the other. So many fundamental issues were treated at the screening event and I understood basically why "Our leaders can't or won't do much". ✍️ I figured that some of the contestants took the form for the sake of it not as though they really have a thing to offer although there were just a few who could defend their ambition ✍️I understood the potentiality of "Political Phenomenon" how that it can be a good side or a menace. The name itself can be a covering from noticing how vast or uninformed an Aspirant can be. ✍️ I understood courtesy and respect over self interest as some Aspirants lacked the simplest means to defend the tackles that were served them by the Panelists which I was part. ✍️ I defensively screened the candidates with sincere but Hot questions to prove the validity of their ambition outside the checks of what they proved they can do. Ultimately, I deduced the following and gave them as passive remarks ‼️Staging awareness for a post is not the challenge, being capable or having a lot or a few to offer is what is key. ‼️I encouraged the Aspirants to see the process as a measure on how much they'll be able to deliver if they eventually emerge. ‼️I sharpened and shaped their thoughts to see a better Nigeria which has to start with them being a leader in such little capacity. My name is OYEDELE Daniel O. the Future Minister of Education PS: I'll be back on your screen with what I will offer IF I become the Minister of Education! #Leadership #Politics #Communitydevelopment #SDG4

[Toward a sustainable and fair green transition] Our first step and destination on the journey to investigate the lifecycle of rare earth elements from the perspective of sustainable development and reconciliation with ethnic minority groups in Vietnam: The mining potential for these critical minerals from the mountainous regions of northwestern Vietnam is tremendous. It is timely to assess geological features leading to natural resource enrichment, the capacity to extract and process the ores responsibly, but also socio-economic aspects to tackle sustainability and equity challenges. Mary-Claire Buell, Claude Fortin, Margaret Graham, Dominic Lariviere, Ian Power and teams.

Burning the midnight oil with pride. Students are a funny breed. It is coming to midnight but the building is not yet empty, there is hard work going on in here. Tomorrow’s leaders are hard at work. Please, a phd is hard labour, next time you have a fresh phd holder for an interview, please please don’t pull the “but you have no work experience card”. We are qualified to our teeth. 1. We can gather, synthesis and report data faster than the CIA. 2. We have developed some serious cognitive and none technical skills like sensemaking, resilience, team work, communication, knowledge retention plus we can survive on baked beans and cold coffee, we probably forgot lunch more times than we remembered, we run on passion. 3. We are the k in Hooke’s law, the spring coefficient, bouncing back after every shattering feedback, coming back better and stronger. 4. We have empathy and can spot a fellow about to drop way before the vultures start circling, we have all been there. So whether it is researching how Norwegian seagulls show affection, why frogs serenade Accra, or a comparative study of the lingual differences and dialects among Asian and African mosquitoes, research is serious business and must count as work experience. Over but not out. Respect to all PhD holders, researchers and aspiring scholars. #TeamBradford #Bradforduniversity #phd #grit #research

The nationwide workshop on ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) adoption in academic institutions has reached the Ashanti Region, with the event taking place at Christian Service University College (CSUC) in Kumasi. The workshop is part of a broader initiative to promote the use of ORCID across Ghana, fostering greater transparency and visibility in academic institutions. It is a significant step in building capacity for research identification in Ghanaian academia where Academic leaders, researchers, and administrators are being equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to fully integrate ORCID into their institutions, further aligning Ghana with international research standards. #RMU #ORCID