UQ hosts leading Congolese environmental researcher

A leading environmental researcher from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will offer an insight into mineral wealth in Congo during a visit to The University of Queensland next week.

Professor Dieudonne Musibono, Head of the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at DRC’s University of Kinshasa, will present his research at a seminar on September 2 at UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute’s Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM).

Professor Musibono said he will be discussing what he calls the “Congolese paradox”.

“The DRC has huge amounts of mineral wealth and yet we have extreme poverty,” Professor Musibono said.

“It is a problem converting our natural resources to true wealth so everyone can benefit. We need to develop good education schemes that will train people to serve their community and help solve our problems.”

Professor Musibono’s visit to Australia is part of an International Mining for Development Centre Distinguished Fellowship Program.

He said the trip would help him develop an education program about social responsibility in the minerals industry that he would establish in the DRC.

“We have a lot to learn from the programs run here at the CSRM,” he said.

“Australia is also a very good example of having very rich resources and using them to serve education and innovation.

“We lack the ability in the DRC to invent, create and innovate, especially when people can only think about daily survival.”

Professor Musibono will be presenting a seminar on his work at UQ on September 2, 2014 from 10am-11am at the Sir James Foots Building (Bld 47A), Lv 4 Seminar Room.

Media: Professor Saleem Ali, Director of the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, 07 3346 4043.

Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining 

The Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining is committed to improving the social performance of the resources industry globally. Its focus is on the social, economic and political challenges that occur when change is brought about by resource extraction and development. Part of UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute CSRM partners with the world’s biggest resource companies, industry bodies and NGOs to improve their sustainability performance. For more information, please visit www.csrm.uq.edu.au