Gift Dembetembe joined the Chair of Sustainability Management

Gift joined in September 2020 as a new Ph.D. student and Research Assistant under the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship (ESKAS). Gift comes from Zimbabwe, Southern Africa where he previously studied and worked in the mining sector. He holds a BSc and Master’s degrees in Mining Engineering and has worked as a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe and a part-time consultant for Pact Zimbabwe, an NGO with projects around natural resources governance. From these interactions, Gift developed a passion for fostering sustainability in the mining industry. Mining exploits non-renewable resources and while mining contributes economically, if natural resources are not preserved, the industry might not benefit future generations. On the same note, if mining operations are not properly regulated in terms of resource efficiency, environmental damage and safety, they have the potential to destroy the land for future generations. Against this background, Gift is pursuing doctoral research aimed at developing a sustainable mineral exploitation path for resource-rich, developing countries. Gift draws from his engineering background, a systems thinking approach and applies it to the sustainability discourse.