Oluwatobi “Tobi” Dayo-Olupona, Wits

From LiDAR-equipped drones and quantum gravity sensors to plasma drilling, autonomous robots and in-situ recovery methods, where minerals can be extracted from underground deposits without removing rock, the range of mining technologies is extensive. And even before mining begins, there are tools like digital twins to simulate potential sites and geostatistical modelling software to quantify mineral deposits.

“If I own a mine and I’m trying to integrate technology, how do I select from the 500 options available?” asks Oluwatobi “Tobi” Dayo-Olupona, a PhD student in mining engineering at Wits as well as the co-founder of AfriMine, an NPO that aims to raise “an army of next-generation mineral professionals”.