Very few people in the world are working on important problems. Problems so impactful that their ripple effects can be felt through generations and significantly have a positive impact on the world. The world needs Rosa, because we founded the company to make unfulfilled promises, realities.
Where did the name Rosa come from?
The company name came from the song La Kayotte, sung by Heritier Wanatebe, a popular rumba artist from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Like most Congolese rumba songs, the song is about a love story, a failed one, to be precise. The lovers lament everything they have lost and ask themselves what happened to all the roses they promised each other. In the song, the roses do not represent flowers but instead all of the beautiful dreams they had, dreams that died the second the love story ended.
Wapi fololo rosa (ah fololo)
Pesa nga fololo rosa eh (ah fololo)
La promesse est une dette (ah fololo)
Bololo ya congo bololo otiki na
Motema, et pourtant olakaki ngai (fololo)
Pili pili ya bolingo ezo swa tala ndenge ezo bimisa ngai (miyoyo)
Tozalaki soki tozo leka na nzela batu bazo
Betela biso (milolo), nakomi soki nazo leka nga moko
(Ba wolola, fiotola, dongola ngai eh soni eh)
(Ba wolola, fiotola, dongola ngai eh soni eh)
(Baseki, seki, seki, seki ngaiiii)
Rose in Lingala is Rosa; the song inspired the company name because I, too, had many dreams for years. Dreams about starting a company that has a positive impact in the world, dreams about being financially well-off, dreams about building a strong and healthy family, dream about building the African economy- and many other dreams that didn’t come true because I had not made it yet. Instead of asking a lover about all the roses lost, I only had myself to ask- what happened to all the roses? The company was created to bring all the roses to life. All the potential we were about to throw away because life, hardship and failure got in the way.
At the time of its founding, we didn’t know where it’d lead us. All we knew was that the company would be a vehicle of prosperity for us, our partners and the world. Through a series of trials and lucky events, we’ve found ourselves with the opportunity to help a small Brazilian mining company become global by helping them sell their ore directly to Canada. We naively agreed to make it happen, and Rosa, as we know it today, was born.
A Mining Love & Hate Story
I’ve been introduced to the mining industry from a very young age; everybody born in the DRC is introduced to the mining industry. The industry is a source of pride and shame for the nation; the source of almost all of our troubles.
In Canada, the mining industry also made its mark and is still making its mark. But for some reason, many Canadians refer to it as “the old economy” because it is assumed that we should all focus on technology, green energy, and services- remove or at least hide heavy industries from the public eye. A weird stance, to say the least.
Across the world, the mining industry has mixed reviews. In Brazil, the country’s biggest iron ore producer is not very liked because of their environmental records. In Africa, most natural resources ended up being more of a curse than a blessing. In Asia, we see some economic miracles like in Indonesia, but most of the good press is buried by environmental concerns, at times hard to tell if it’s just the Western press pushing the “China is bad” narrative too far or if it’s the reality. One thing is for sure: depending on who you ask, people have a long love-and-hate relationship with the mining sector.
Can Mining be Good for the World? Our answer is yes. Mining can be good for the world, the local community, and the environment. In fact, we’re tackling mining from the standpoint that not only mining should be good for the world but that our civilization evolved because of our ability to build great things- so we must make it good.
Our thesis:
In the dynamic landscape of our ever-evolving world, one constant remains unwavering: Society needs things built.
This fundamental truth, echoing from the prehistoric era to the present day, serves as the guiding principle for Rosa Ventures, with activities that span the entire spectrum, from sourcing raw materials to the meticulous craftsmanship that transforms them into valuable, cutting-edge products for end-users.
Incentive Design Problems
The world has two kinds of problems: technological and design problems. Technological problems require advancement in science to find solutions. Design problems, on the other hand, require a new way to assemble resources to get specific results. Like most capitalist problems, the mining industry suffers from incentive design problems.
- How can a country ensure its access to critical materials to power its economy?
- How can a country make its resources available to others and make the trade beneficial for its population?
- How can countries trust that their suppliers will remain loyal during period of conflicts?
- How can we mine enough material to accelerate the energy transition without damaging the environment along the way?
- How can we incentivize countries to invest in their mining sector when the world is moving toward a digital economy?
The list of questions goes on. Every country needs to answer these questions. Based on the answer they come up with, they create strategies around it. These strategies lead to specific behaviours and outcomes. Some outcomes are judged positively, some are judged negatively, and the world goes round.
What has been missing for years are companies that put economic development and environmental concerns first while still being pro-mining. Activist groups are against mining and, ironically, want the energy transition to happen as fast as possible. Mining companies claim to want economic development, but very few mineral-rich jurisdictions are truly benefiting from the wealth of their soil. This is at the core of the problem we’re trying to solve for the world. Make mining a winning proposition for all: the economy, the local population and the environment.
The Trust Problem
We’re still in the midst of our first transaction, which is by far the most painful thus far. We’re seeing and experiencing the trust problem in action. Buyers are on one end, suppliers are on the other end, and Rosa is in the middle dealing with both. Nobody wants to take on risks, so Rosa takes on the risk.
The way to solve the trust problem is not by placing Rosa in the middle of every transaction but by changing the way mineral trades are done worldwide so that strangers from different jurisdictions in the world can trade without having to trust each other. Solving this problem alone will make Rosa a multi-billion dollar company- if not a trillion dollar company. Trillion dollars worth of minerals are traded every year; trillions more are not because the trust problem persists. Part of making mining a winning proposition for all is making sure that strangers can do business without intermediaries.
The Green Tax
The world wants more sustainable mining, but nobody is willing to pay higher prices for more sustainably mined minerals. Western mining companies blame China for not caring about the environment and beg the world for a two-tier price system to avoid bankrupcy.
Sustainability will not come from peer pressure from activists or Wall Street. It’ll come through innovation. We need to innovate, making mining cheaper and greener at the same time. That’s the only way we can get rid of the green tax because nobody will pay for it. Every responsible company must lower costs and increase profits, so sourcing minerals from the lowest seller makes sense. Part of making mining a winning proposition for all is driving mining innovation from academia to the industry.
The Great Canadian Comeback
Canada is a country full of natural resources. It built the country and its economy thanks to its rich natural resources but is now struggling to take it to the next level. Despite the government announcing its critical military strategy, the country hasn’t made any strides, and time is running out.
The government is busy fighting off “adversary” foreign investment while local miners are starving for capital. The push for the energy transition is a generational opportunity for Canada to become a mining and economic powerhouse; a leader in green technology. The country needs to move away from big headlines and focus on getting the job done, speeding up permits and making capital accessible to folks on the ground eager to get started. Part of making mining a winning proposition for all is making sure that the Canadian mining sector can be fully operational and become a leader in the space.
Uncursing Africa
Africa is home to a lot of natural resources. Almost all critical minerals the leading economies need for the energy transition can be found in Africa. The world is accessing African natural resources while the continent is still home to most of the world’s poorest nations. When you dig deeper, you see how misaligned incentives have prevented the continent from developing its economy for decades; it’s time for a change.
Uncursing Africa is about helping African nations evolve their economy beyond basic “rocks shipping” and making sure that proceeds coming from the mining sector are benefiting the country as a whole, not just the political class. A lot of work has to be done in Africa; we’re well positioned to have an impact because a lot of African economies, to this day, are based on mining. Part of making mining a winning proposition for all is making sure that Africans truly benefit from their wealth, $24 trillion worth of it in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone.
The New Cold War
Most people are unaware, but there is a new cold war going on. Unlike the previous one, where capitalist ideologies were facing off against communist ones, the new Cold War is about the race toward artificial intelligence, the energy transition, military prowess and biotechnology. Behind these fields are critical minerals needed to power all of them, from AI chips to batteries from EVs to new materials for new mass destructive weapons.
Leading powers are applying classic playbooks to secure access to key minerals worldwide, but these playbooks benefit a tiny minority while the rest of the population suffers. The playbooks haven’t benefitted many nations; in fact, they brought more problems than blessings. Helping governments negotiate winning deals is a key pillar of our goal to make mining a winning proposition for all. And the world will thank us for it.
Chasing the Sun
61 years ago, the mathematician Nikolai Kardashev said that the most fundamental way to classify how advanced a civilization is or was is based on its energy consumption. The more energy they consume, which means control, then the more sophisticated the civilization must be. Kardashev proposed a scale for quantifying how advanced civilizations are.
Known as The Kardashev Civilization scale, the scale measures civilization technology advances with the methods and quantities of energy they are able to harvest. A Type I civilization on the Kardashev scale can harness and store all of the energy from its home planet. Such civilizations should have complete control of their planetary environment, weather, and resources as well as their local orbit, for the Earth is about 1.7e+17 watts. A Type II civilization would be using stars as engines effectively harnessing them using constructions such as Dyson spheres, a power consumption comparable to the output of a star which for the Sun is 3.8e+26 watts. Finally, a Type III civilization would have a power consumption comparable to a Galaxy. That’s something like 5e+36 watts. Such a civilization would be so advanced, it’s very difficult for us to make any kind of predictions about what they would be like and thus there’s probably not too much point in worrying about Type IV or beyond that either.
Currently, we’re considered a Type 0 (0.72 to be exact)civilization on the way to Type I. Faced with ecological issues, such as climate change and natural disasters, we must find ways to harness sustainable energy in order to not only evolve but also save our beloved planet.
There won’t be a Type I civilization without the mining industry. Our dreams of colonizing Mars and other stars won’t happen without the mining industry. Beyond land mining, deepsea mining and space mining will stare at us with new opportunities and challenges. We’ll need to be ready to take on the challenges and advance civilization without putting the planet in danger. This is bigger than just making money; this is a mission that will last millennia and that will assure that the children of our children’s children have a great planet to enjoy, protect and enrich.
The world needs Rosa to make the world a better place for all.
The world needs Rosa to ensure that our civilization evolves.
The world needs Rosa to lift nations out of poverty.
The world needs Rosa to make the energy transition a reality.
The world needs Rosa to create generational wealth for nations.
This is a tall order, but we’ll be ready by solving one problem at a time daily.
To the Rosa Team
It’s supposed to be hard. We’ll have moments of doubt. We’ll have overwhelming days. It’ll require a lot of sacrifices. That’s the price we’ll have to pay to make the world a better place. Let’s not run away from it.
All great outcomes must be earned. So let’s fall in love with the challenges, the sacrifices and discomforts, and use it to our advantage. We didn’t come this far only to come this far. This is going to be a hell of a ride, but it’s gonna be fun and worth it.
Writing this piece in the middle of yet another storm of fire is very therapeutic; all the stress involved in making these transactions happen is nothing compared to how much good we can bring to the world. This calm-focus will help us face many challenges, and we will prevail; because rain or shine, the roses must be brought to life.
May God be with us, May God be with Rosa.
Amen
I write about my experiences, entrepreneurship and stoicism on medium, and tweet at @NedNadima.
