This is a guest blog authored by Maureen Mato, M&E officer at Ziva Community Initiative (Nigeria). Maureen is one of the ten (10) winners of the 2026 community voices video competition hosted by The Impact Facility, in partnership with Mining Indaba that invited community members, representatives of indigenous peoples in mining areas, civil society organisations, activists and visionaries to reflect on the MI26 theme, “Stronger Together: Progress Through Partnership,” and how it relates to their lived experiences.

Maureen attended Mining Indaba 2026 in Cape Town from 9 – 12 February in Cape Town, South Africa, and this blog summarises their experience at the conference.  More information about the competition is available here.

Some moments will stay with you always. Mining Indaba 2026 is one of them.

Standing on that stage as one of the Top 10 Community Voices selected by The Impact Facility was beyond me because I carried with me the voices of artisanal miners in Nigeria- especially the women whose work is essential and yet often overlooked.

Throughout the week in Cape Town, discussions centred on critical minerals, investment, and energy transition, yet one thing was clear: unstable communities mean unstable projects, therefore partnership must go beyond words.

During our panel, “Stronger Together in Practice,” I shared a simple message: partnerships must prioritise the safety and dignity of the artisanal and small-scale miners, or it is simply a PR model and therefore incomplete.  

What made this experience beautiful was not only speaking on stage, but seeing people truly listen to community voices.

The Community Voices dinner, organised by The Impact Facility, held in our honor, was also a powerful reminder that this platform is not just about visibility but also about building a network of leaders committed to practical change. 

The Impact Facility’s Community Voices platform does something extraordinary, it invites communities to shape their narrative and places our different lived experiences at the centre of a global conversation. Being part of that reminded me that leadership is about lived experience, being recognized, and being valued.

Mining Indaba reminded me that the future of critical minerals will depend on how seriously we take partnership at the community level; “Stronger together must mean stronger in practice.”

We return to our work encouraged and with a renewed sense of responsibility. For that amazing opportunity, platform, and experience, I am truly grateful to The Impact Facility.