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Windhoek, Namibia, 29th November– 3rd December 2021

The international short course on Energy Metals was held in a hybrid format under ideal circumstances at the Ministry of Mines and Energy in Windhoek (Namibia), starting with a warm welcome icebreaker and a Namibian traditional dancing group on Sunday 28th November.

The program consisted of 3 days of lectures and workshops, and 2 days of fieldtrips in the region of Swakopmund.

Sixty delegates and lecturers exchanged on the critical metals for the present and future applications also evaluating on so-called “green” technologies. 10 foreign students arrived from Western and North Africa and 17 Namibian students participated for the first time.

Lecturers and delegates joined remotely from Australia, Ireland, England, Italy, Portugal, Germany, South Africa, Nigeria, and Namibia, and physically from Namibia, France, and South Africa.  Students and young scientists from Namibia networked with students from Algeria, Senegal, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and South Africa.

The lecturers from industries, universities, consulting companies, government organizations and the Geological Survey, addressed a variety of aspects: The Geology and Metallogeny of Namibia, with the enormous work performed by geologists from the Namibian Geological Survey, the universities, and consultants. All metal session (U, V, Pb-Zn, Cu, REE, Li,) included aspects on circular economy, on specific Namibian ore deposits, ore deposit formation, exploration, mining, and processing at the highest level. A critical view on these metals in the current political, economic, and industrial context of Namibia, Southern Africa, and importance of these metals for the global and European processing and manufacturing industries, was debated.

Furthermore, global topics, regulations, and actions on mining in the view of reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the UN and other international government bodies, to reach carbon-neutrality in 2050, were addressed. The future Namibian UNESCO-supported Geopark introduced by Dr. Gabi Schneider, was also part of the excursion program.

Fieldtrips included highlights such as a visit to the Lepidico Mine project, led by the chief exploration geologist Simon Kahovera, the Eureka Exploration Project on a challenging REE occurrences in carbonatites (prepared by Pete Siegfried), the largest open pit Rössing Uranium mine and processing plant (led by Gabi Schneider), and textbook outcrops of famous geological sites (badlands, dolerite dykes emplaced during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean into Upper Precambrian, skarn mineralogy and contact metamorphic features), amazing landscapes and geological landmarks (Spitzkoppe, badlands..) all part of the future Geopark.

Statistics on participants, lecturers

In total, participants + lecturers, 56 peoples were present: 10 foreign students, 17 Namibian students, 10 government people, 1 industrial and 27 lecturers, about 50% coming from Namibia. The conference link was send to about 30 people outside Namibia (students and government agents who could not join physically, a certain number participated remotely.