EnglishIn recent months, several IM4DC Fellows have undertaken extended activities in Australia to conduct research and build knowledge in key aspects of mining for development.
One such Fellow is Mesfin Gebremichael, Manager of Geo-Information Services, from the South East African Mineral Centre (SEAMIC) in Tanzania.
As part of his IM4DC Fellowship, Mesfin travelled to Perth, Western Australia and spent four weeks working at the Centre for Exploration Targeting (CET) at The University of Western Australia (UWA). Mesfin’s research involved two streams 1) to undertake a full cross-border prospectivity analysis of a part of Tanzania and one of its neighbours and 2) to define the scope of an East African Exploration initiative in collaboration with researchers at CET.
IM4DC e-News spoke to Mesfin:
1. How did you find out about the IM4DC Fellowship Program?
I learnt about the Fellowship Program from the IM4DC E-News and Website. I read stories on both about the Fellowship opportunities.
2. What were you hoping to achieve by participating in the IM4DC Fellowship Program?
I was hoping to make new Australian networks, as well as gain new technical expertise.
3. What knowledge and skills did you gain from this experience?
I improved my knowledge of data processing for targeting mineral potential.
4. Do you maintain professional working relationships with Australian people or institutions? Or do you plan to?
I plan to maintain my relationship with IM4DC through alumni activities and M4DLink. I also hope to continue to collaborate with CET staff on future projects.
5. What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt whilst undertaking work experience with the CET?
I have learnt a new area of technical expertise – processing data for mineral targeting. I now have a higher and more advanced knowledge of data processing than I had previously. This is an area that gains a lot of interest from clients in Tanzania. This new skill will be of benefit to me.
6. How do you plan to apply your learning’s on return to your home country?
I plan to continue this study and do more research. There is potential to develop new projects for Eastern Africa and more mineral studies to provide additional information for industry.