The North-West Province's mining sector is a significant contributor to the region's GDP, employing 150,000 people across 300 active mines. To maintain and strengthen this position, it's crucial to prioritise research and skills development. Innovations in mineral beneficiation are required to meet the challenges of transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy storage systems and electric vehicles, mining lower-grade and more complex ores, meeting water quality demands, electronic waste recycling, and using new metals for smart materials. Hydrometallurgy will play a critical role in achieving these goals. Our group is dedicated to utilizing hydrometallurgy principles to tackle critical challenges in the green energy transition. We aim to deliver practical solutions to these challenges through our research and close collaboration with industry partners.