Mark McHenry

This paper presents a broad assessment of the energy production potential available from solid organic wastes when treated with anaerobic digestion in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Energy production potentials were estimated by calculating the methane (CH4) production potential based on data from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), studies done in urban centres on the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), livestock manure, livestock food waste, crop residues normally burned, and crop primary equivalent waste. The total CH4 production potential of organic solid wastes in SSA was estimated to be 12.8 billion m3/yr, equivalent to 133 million GWh/yr of heat energy. Given that current domestic biogas programmes in SSA focus on cattle manure as the main feedstock, the large energy production potential from other organic waste streams highlights the opportunity to improve waste management practices through harnessing these abundant waste resources in biogas systems.

Perhaps more than ever our survival as a species is dependent on our collective problem solving ability. Our ability to thrive requires creativity and innovation to seize some amazing opportunities. In both cases - solving problems and seizing opportunities - two heads are better than one. There is empirical data to support this. In both journals, Nature and Science, there is a positive correlation between multiple authorship (a proxy measure for collaboration) and impact of the research. If we are to truly strengthen partnerships in research and higher education it is imperative to understand what is effective collaboration and how it can be nurtured within and between institutions and to what end(s). Murdoch University, an international research university based in Western Australia, has emerged as an institution with a hub of interdisciplinary collaborative activity committed to innovation and quality higher education at a world-leading level. Our successful strategic international partnerships bring together the best minds and enable the sharing and dissemination of knowledge, information, and expertise. Through some specific examples including a work-in-progress case study on the nexus between mining and agriculture in rural and regional Africa under examination by members of Murdoch’s Africa Research Group, we will examine the ingredients necessary for producing high impact research, and how partnerships forged out of mutual respect and a genuine desire to achieve results can create a lasting legacy for communities and make a material difference in the quality of the lives of people. The lessons learned may be useful for others who desire to strengthen partnerships in research and higher education.

The responsible management of the rehabilitation and decommissioning of mine sites and the affected environs requires an effective regulatory, policy, and financial securities framework in place. While mining jurisdictions may have confidence in the adequacy of their policy and regulatory systems, financial security mechanisms (posted by mining companies in the form of unconditional performance bonds) are often also used to minimise negative mining-related outcomes. In theory, such mining securities ensure sufficient funds are available to a government to rehabilitate mine sites in the event operators fail to meet their mine rehabilitation and closure obligations. However, four major challenges are often encountered with these mechanisms: 1) They are commonly insufficient to cover appropriate mine closure activities and environmental remediation in the case of a default; 2) Bonds are tied to individual tenements and not damages outside of the designated zone; 3) Mining companies bear significant administrative costs associated with the creation and posting of bonds, and; 4) They do not solve the problem of historical abandoned mine sites. Conventional environmental bond mechanisms also create disincentives to mining company investment (particularly small companies) and little financial benefit for governments (benefits are largely captured by the banking sector). While Western Australia has long been considered as a sophisticated and advanced mining intensive jurisdiction, as of 2011 the state environmental bond system was estimated to cover less than 25% of the total obligation of mine site rehabilitation costs that may be required. These concerns led to the creation of an innovative policy approach: the Mining Rehabilitation Fund Act 2012. This paper discusses the background to the significant inefficiencies in the previous arrangements (which remain typical across the developed world), how they expose governments and mining companies to significant environmental obligations and financial challenges, and how they disincentivise mining activity. The paper also summarises how the Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) anticipates and underwrites the full closure costs for mine rehabilitation, how it is a cost-neutral source of funds for governments to remediate existing abandoned mines, and how it ‘frees up’ mining company capital. It is estimated that after only ten years the MRF will cover the full clean-up cost of even the largest mine in Western Australia should any complete default occur as a worst case scenario. The interest earned by the government on the principal MRF funds will also be available for rehabilitation and remediation of previously abandoned mines, additional environmental monitoring, and impact assessment and remediation research and development. The paper concludes with how such a system may be adaptable to the African context.