Emily Offodile is the special assistant on community engagement to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development in Nigeria and the founder of Ziva Community Initiative an NGO which builds a sustainable responsible artisanal and small-scale mining sector.
Achor-Offodile says: “The demand for global critical minerals is degrading and devastating Africa’s landscape. We hold significant reserves of cobalt, lithium, copper, and rare earth elements that are super important for the global shift towards green energy and technology advancement. There is a strong demand for these in China, Europe, and the USA.
“But we lose out on our advantage because most of these minerals are mined in the informal sector, via artisanal and small-scale mining.”
