Mining · Processing · Jobs
Turning hand-dug work into formal, well-paid careers
Horizon 35 helps ore-rich developing countries restart mines, process their minerals at home and build economies around them.
Our goal
1 million jobs in 5–10 years, through mining, processing and more
Our mission
Talent is evenly distributed, and opportunity is not
Over the next 10 to 15 years, about 1.2 billion young people in developing countries will reach working age, and only about 400 million jobs are projected for them. Most people who do work have no contract, no protection and pay well below a living wage.
Our mission is to close part of that gap with formal jobs at scale: jobs that pay a living wage, last for decades and let a family plan a future. Mining is where those jobs start. Processing is how a country keeps the value of what it mines.
Our story
It began with a film about students in Africa
Our attention was first drawn to the need through Pathway to Hope, a film by Jane Clayson Johnson about BYU-Pathway students in Africa who finish their education and often struggle to find a role where they can use it.
We were inspired by those students. As we dug deeper, we saw that what they needed most was well-paid work close to home, and that mining and processing could create it at scale.
Why processing
Countries need a competitive advantage, just as companies do
The strongest economies each built one capability the world depends on. Minerals in the ground give a country an advantage on paper. Processing them at home is what makes that advantage competitive, keeping export earnings, skilled jobs and tax revenue in the country.
Our thinking
Featured insights
Starting Where Others Stopped
Why restarting known mines and reprocessing old tailings reaches formal jobs years sooner than new mines.
Download PDF →The Window Is Open
Export controls, new U.S. sourcing rules and rising demand have opened a rare, time-bound opportunity.
Download PDF →The Job Multiplier Effect
How one formal mining job supports about ten across the economy, and why the wages matter as much as the count.
Download PDF →Mining Creates Jobs, Processing Creates Value
Countries need a competitive advantage just as companies do. For ore-rich countries, processing is how they build it.
Download PDF →Get in touch
We are looking for operators, buyers and partners who want to build this with us
If you run a mine, buy critical minerals, build processing technology or want to invest in formal jobs, we would like to hear from you.
mitch@horizon35.com