Dr. Fitsum S. Weldegiorgis

Dr Fitsum Weldegiorgis is a Senior Research Fellow at the Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland. His research focuses on mineral security for human development, mining linkages and local content, and resource-enabled economic diversification and structural transformation. He currently leads ARC-funded research exploring how agricultural minerals can contribute to food security in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific.

Over more than 16 years, Dr Weldegiorgis has undertaken research, policy advisory, capacity building and multi-stakeholder engagement across more than 30 mining, energy and agricultural contexts globally. He previously served as a Senior Researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and has undertaken extensive international consultancy work. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, with his research and knowledge-exchange work informing policy and practice, including Australia’s Critical Minerals Strategy 2023–2030, Ethiopia’s new ASM strategy, World Bank ASM strategy reform, and work by the European Commission and UN agencies.

Dr Weldegiorgis has played a leading role in advancing artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), including driving the establishment of the International Council for ASM (IC-ASM) to strengthen miners’ representation in global mineral policy. Across ASM and large-scale mining, he has also helped develop and deliver global knowledge and capacity-building initiatives reaching hundreds of practitioners and policymakers.