African Rainbow Minerals (ARM), a diverse mining firm, is funding postdoctoral research in water, energy, and digitalisation at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg.
The investment is deeply rooted in the university’s mining area and complements the university’s larger activities in quantum computing, fintech, and innovation.
ARM will provide R20 million to an endowment that will be invested in perpetuity. The endowment’s investment return will be utilized to support research in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment.
The ARM postgraduate fellowship program seeks to establish a critical mass of capabilities in South Africa by assisting a new batch of postdoctoral fellows specializing on water resource management, digitalization, and work toward a Just Energy Transition.
Dr Patrice Motsepe, a Wits alumni and ARM founder and executive chairperson, stressed the necessity of collaboration with South African institutions of higher learning.
“Public-private partnerships are crucial in addressing the socio-economic and environmental challenges confronting our communities and country,” Motsepe emphasised.
“ARM works with several universities across South Africa, supporting young people from undergraduate to post-graduate studies, helping them to realise their dreams,” said Motsepe.
“Some of these students come from communities neighbouring our mining operations. We also contribute to the development and upliftment of poor rural and urban communities in South Africa by educating students from these communities,” Motsepe added.
Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Zeblon Vilakazi acknowledged the importance of digital transformation in the mining industry, as well as the need to develop the vital skills required to grow South Africa’s economy, in a statement to Mining Weekly.
Vilakazi expressed confidence that by forming more private-sector partnerships, such as the ARM partnership, Wits could make a significant contribution to the development of vital skills and research needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the mining industry.
Professor Thokozani Majozi, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, emphasized the importance of moving quickly to a more sustainable and just energy system.
“Research and promotion of accessible, affordable, and socio-economically just renewable energy solutions are our top priorities,” said Majozi, who reiterated the university’s aim to contribute to the sustainable management of water resources through research, education, increased awareness and community engagement.
“This includes addressing challenges related to water scarcity, pollution and climate change,” he added.
The postdoctoral fellowship program, according to ARM CEO Phillip Tobias, demonstrates ARM’s commitment to addressing major challenges in water, energy, and digitalization.
“This initiative is about creating a pipeline of future critical skills that will cater for future business needs. We believe that through this collaboration, we can make a significant impact and leave a lasting legacy that will provide innovative and sustainable solutions that will benefit not only the mining industry but broader South African society as well,” Tobias said.
The ARM Wits collaboration has resulted in the renaming of the present Chamber of Mines Building on the Braamfontein West Campus, which faces the M1 freeway, as the Wits ARM Building, an edifice that is a critical component of the university’s academic and research infrastructure.
The building, which opened in 1989 and had its fourth quadrant finished in 2012, houses the administration of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, the School of Mining Engineering, and the School of Electrical and Information Engineering. It also houses the Wits Mining Institute, DigiMine, and two other research institutions.
