Recently, Research Works published this story on Artisanal Mining in Africa: Where Women are Mining for Economic Independence. Artisanal mining refers to mining with minimal technology and generally without formal organization.
Two graduate students were referenced in a photo caption.
Sarah Katz-Lavigne, a PhD student in International Affairs, is doing research that focuses on how large-scale mining companies, including Canadian companies, engage abroad, particularly the mechanisms they employ to secure access to valuable minerals. She is hoping to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to do her field research. Previously, she lived and worked in the DRC as well as in the Central African Republic and Uganda.
PhD International Affairs student Decky Kipuka Kabongi is interested in issues that focus on the political economy of the African Great Lakes region, particularly in the nexus of security and development as well as the governance of natural resources (mining) in the region. He notes that, over past decades, the region has experienced dramatic political developments, including the Rwandan genocide, the Congo wars, civil wars in Burundi and Uganda, etc. “All these conflicts have adversely impacted the prospects of development in the region, causing a lot of death, displaced population and increased poverty,” Kipuka explains. He is looking at the role of states in such developments and what the future will look like for citizens. Last year, he travelled to Edinburgh, Scotland and to Vienna, Austria to present papers on natural resources, conflict and poverty in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
