Walking the Line: Mining, Power, and Prada

In a rural village in Africa’s mineral-rich heartland, I stood alongside local Chiefs—wearing a traditional chitenge skirt and a pair of Prada boots.

At first glance, it’s a striking image.

Luxury meets legacy. Modernity wrapped in tradition.

But for me, it wasn’t a contradiction. It was a convergence.

Because this is what real mining leadership looks like today:

Global in perspective. Local in presence. Grounded in deep respect.

The Source of Value Isn’t Just Geological

At Makor Resources , we operate at the intersection of resource development, community engagement, and investment strategy. And if there’s one thing the industry is still learning, it’s this:

You cannot build a sustainable mining operation without local alignment.

Not just with the state. Not just with regulators.

But with those who carry generational authority over the land—Chiefs, elders, and often, the women who sustain the social and economic life of these communities.

What we mine may be copper, gold, or cobalt.

But what determines our long-term viability?

Trust. Consent. Credibility.

This is the foundation of Mine to Main Street — our philosophy and platform that reframes mining as part of a holistic system. One that begins with communities and ends in global markets, luxury goods, clean tech, and capital flows.

Mining’s Forgotten Workforce: The Women at the Source

The month of March is Women's month. And during Women’s Month, it’s easy to focus on boardroom visibility or gender metrics in executive ranks.

But real change requires looking deeper — at the role women have played for centuries in Africa’s mining economies. 

They’ve traded. Organized. Mediated.

Fed workforces. Mapped informal deposits. Held the land when titles didn’t.

 All while being systematically excluded from decision-making and formal profit structures. 

These women weren’t included in the P&L. But they were (and still are) the infrastructure beneath it.

At Makor, we see them. 

We work with them. 

We create space for them in our operations, partnerships, and long-term impact planning.

Their inclusion isn’t charity. It isn't a checkbox. 

It’s how value is secured and scaled.

Why I Wore Prada

When I walked into that village in Prada boots, it wasn’t performative.

It was intentional.

Because luxury, design, and global capital are often viewed as disconnected from rural resource communities. But they’re not.

They are inextricably linked. One feeds the other. One depends on the other.

 Prada boots don’t appear on shelves by magic.

They start with minerals —m from the metal in the zippers to the pigments in the dye.

They pass through hands, lands, and histories that rarely get acknowledged, let alone respected.

Wearing Prada to that village was a quiet reminder of the journey from mine to market.

And it was a message to the industry: You cannot lead in mining today without standing at this intersection.

The New Mining Standard

As we enter a new era — where ESG is real, transparency is currency, and investment is increasingly tied to legitimacy — mining leaders must evolve.

This means:

• Embedding social license into the core business model.

• Prioritizing cultural literacy as much as technical expertise.

• Acknowledging that Chiefs are not symbolic — they are strategic and they hold way more political power than what most realize.

• Understanding that women at the source are not support—they are partners.

And yes, recognizing that what starts in the village ends on Main Street.

Mine to Main Street is not a slogan. It’s a new operating standard. And if we want mining to be future-ready, we need to be fluent in both worlds: Elegance and earth. Finance and tradition. Prada and protocol.

This is the balance I walk every day.

And it’s the path forward for mining that is not just profitable — but powerful, purposeful, and enduring.