The West African Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (WAIMM) is pleased to announce that the 7th Annual WAIMM Students Conference (WSC2026) has been successfully concluded. The WSC2026 was held from 23rd to 25th July 2026 in Tarkwa, Ghana, under the theme: “Empowering the Next Generation: Navigating Innovation and Sustainability in West Africa’s Mining and Petroleum Landscape.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The three-day conference brought together approximately 490<\/strong> participants, including student chapter members from universities across Ghana, industry professionals, academics, and partner organizations. WSC2026 delivered a rich programme of keynote presentations, student presentations, technical workshops, company exhibitions, operational mine site visits, and structured networking sessions, all designed to advance the professional development of the next generation of geoscientists and engineers in the natural resources industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The WAIMM Students Conference (WSC) is the Institute’s official conference and education platform for students and early-career professionals in mining, geology and geoscience, metallurgy and materials, oil and gas, engineering, and allied industries. Now in its seventh year, the WSC has grown into one of West Africa’s foremost gatherings of aspiring natural resources professionals, providing a unique platform for interaction, mentorship, and knowledge sharing between students and industry leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The conference reflects WAIMM’s core mission of advancing career and professional development across the resources sector through training, mentorship, networking, and exposure to emerging industry practices and technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The WSC2026 was designed to address critical issues shaping the future of the mining and petroleum industries, including industry best practices, regulatory frameworks, professional ethics, sustainability, and the growing role of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in the natural resources sector. Specifically, the conference sought to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The conference opened on 23rd July 2026 with addresses from WAIMM CEO & Executive Secretary Lawrence Omari-Mensah and distinguished guests from industry and academia. In his opening address, Mr Omari-Mensah emphasized that the focus of the WAIMM is to develop and raise leaders for the west African minerals industry and beyond and that the WAIMM students\u2019 chapter is a platform provided by the WAIMM for early career geoscientists to steer their careers in the natural resources industry to great heights as a wider part of sustainability of the mining and oil & gas industry across west Africa and globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr George Korsi Nutor, Geneal Manager of Golden Star Resources-Wassa mine and who was the Guest of Honor for the day emphasized that \u201cDegrees are easy to obtain, but the mentoring and training provided by industry professionals are what’s lacking\u201d and that they should seize every opportunity they come across from the WAIMM as students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Invited Industry professionals delivered presentations on current operational trends, emerging technologies, sustainability practices, and career development especially in the mining sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The conference also featured the WAIMM Student Chapter project presentations, where Student participants also presented group research findings, recognizing academic and professional excellence whilst also demonstrating the depth of talent within the WAIMM student chapters. The research projects included: Reprocessing Mine Tailings – Turning Historical Waste into Economic and Environmental Opportunities – UMaT Tarkwa Chapter, Design and Implementation of an IOT- Enabled Digital Twin for an Electric Motor Performance Monitoring – KNUST Kumasi Chapter among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In line with the conference’s hands-on philosophy, participants undertook visits to the Damang mine, Goldfields Tarkwa mine, Anglogold Ashanti Iduapriem mine, Perseus mining Edikan mine and the Golden star resources Wassa mine sites, gaining firsthand exposure to the complete mining cycle \u2014 from exploration and pit operations to processing plants, core yards, waste management, and environmental facilities. These visits granted our early-career geoscientists and engineers\u2019 invaluable practical insight into industry standards, health and safety protocols, and best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were also sstructured networking sessions, a conference dinner, and social activities provided further opportunities for participants to build lasting professional relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WSC2026 significantly advanced WAIMM’s mission of shaping the next generation of professionals in the natural resources industry. Key outcomes include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n