The Zambian ambassador Winnie Natala Chibesakunda was a guest at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg in April. A short time later, honorary members of the Freiberg Mining, Geology and Environment Association handed over a copy of the publication "The Geology and Mineral Resources of Mozambique" to TUBAF - a 2004 publication by Siegfried Lächelt, who is regarded as the father of Mozambique's geology. This is exemplary: TUBAF traditionally has good contacts with numerous African countries. These will become closer in the future; among other things, collaborations with universities in Zimbabwe, Ghana and Namibia were initiated or renewed this year.
At the end of March 2025, Professors Holger Lieberwirth, Helmut Mischo and Carsten Drebenstedt attended a conference at the University of Zimbabwe. On behalf of the Rector of TUBAF, Professor Klaus-Dieter Barbknecht, Carsten Drebenstedt signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the university, i.e. a declaration of intent for cooperation that was also initiated by Drebenstedt. The two universities will initially work together for the next five years in research and teaching, staff and student exchanges, conferences, lectures and publications. With this MoU, another university in southern Africa has decided to cooperate with TUBAF: "We can build on good experiences with other countries in the region, such as Mozambique, South Africa and Namibia, and form networks," says Carsten Drebenstedt. For him, this network opens up new perspectives for TUBAF as a resource university: "Think about securing Germany's supply of strategic raw materials and training that ensures high safety, social and environmental standards in the raw materials supply chains."
University of Tarkwa (Ghana) now part of international Master's programme
Since March, the University of Mining and Technology (UMaT) in Tarkwa (Ghana) has been the 15th partner in the international Master's programme "Advanced Mineral Resource Development" (AMRD). It is the second partner from Africa alongside Taita Taveta University in Kenya. The programme includes study components at TUBAF and the University of Leoben, as well as at another university in Europe, Asia or Africa, and ends with a multiple degree. Professor Drebenstedt signed the agreement in Tarkwa on behalf of the Rector as Dean of Studies at TUBAF.
German and Namibian students benefit from the Erasmus+ programme
"The links to Africa have grown organically," explains Drebenstedt's colleague Helmut Mischo, who taught in Windhoek at what is now the Namibia University of Science and Technology from 2007 to 2011 and still gives guest lectures there today. Mischo also works as a professional engineer at the Engineering Council of Namibia. "The close contacts result in a win-win-win situation for all sides. For us, working with African universities is not just about recruiting students. For students from both countries, the cooperation is an opportunity to go abroad and gain international experience. And local industry also benefits from the cooperation. We advise local companies and support their projects with theses written by our Freiberg students."
Mozambique: Scholarship programme with long-term prospects
The overall picture also includes TUBAF's successful scholarship programme with Mozambique, which has been in place for over ten years in cooperation with the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy of Mozambique (MIREME). Every year, up to ten prospective students from Mozambique come to TUBAF, the best in their country. After intensive language courses that prepare them for university entrance qualifications and university, they begin their studies in the field of mining sciences.
Zambia: picking up the thread again
Back to the beginning and to Zambia: TUBAF currently has no official collaborations with Zambian universities. But there were. A look at the university's files reveals that Zambian students studied at the Freiberg Mining Academy during the GDR era. There have been eleven of them since 1952, including Veston Malango, who is now the Managing Director of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia.