By ABAH SUNDAY, Abuja
The African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) has affirmed the commitment of the African continent to equipping women with requisite skills that would enable them participate actively in the mining sector value chain.
Chairman of AMSG and Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dr Dele Alake made this known in a goodwill message he delivered virtually at the International Women’s Day Forum 2024 organised by the Women Miners Association, according to a statement signed by his media aide, Segun Tomori.
The Minister lauded the organisers for putting the progress and plight of women in the mining sector on the front-burner, stressing the importance of investing in the development of women for leadership in industry and governance.
“We live in a world in which no one, no gender must be left behind. This is the logic of progressive transformation that we desire.
“The African Minerals Strategy Group is committed to empowering women with appropriate skills to enable them participate in the mining sector value chain, from exploration and extraction to processing and commerce.
“We support access to technical training in mining for our young women: we support start-up financial assistance for women mining entrepreneurs, and we champion the inclusion of women in the leadership of regulatory agencies.”he said.
According to Dr Alake, the AMSG under his leadership will initiate annual studies on the progress Africa is making in the aforementioned areas and publish findings on subsequent International Women’s Day.
It will be recalled that on the sidelines of the “Invest in African Mining Indaba”, in South-africa, Alake was unanimously elected as the Chairman of the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), a body of African Ministers of Solid Minerals/Mineral Resources championing value addition and maximum beneficiation from the continent’s vast mineral resources for the development of member countries.
Meanwhile, the Minerals and Miners Centre (MMC) has stressed the need for safety training at the mining communities across Nigeria.
At the international women’s day on 8th of March 2024, the Director, MMC, Dr Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji, featuring the kogi women miners welfare association, expressed sadness at the risky manner women miners seek means of livelihood.
According to her, the need to feed and pay the meagre school fees have pushed rural women miners to the mining pits unprepared, unguarded and exposed to extortion and poor working conditions.
In her remark at the MMC’s initiative for women miner’s meeting held to mark the international women’s day with representatives from Nigeria, Tanzania, Mali, South Africa and other African countries, Dr Asokoro called on women to support other women in the field by providing mentorship opportunities and, most especially, safety trainings at the grassroots.
“Women form the majority workforce in many states in Nigeria and should get the attention required in policy formulation processes,” she observed.
Amongst key recommendations discussed at the meeting, MMC is calling on countries in Africa to Make mining laws and economic policies gender-inclusive continuously. The need to advance women’s social protection at the mine and home has also become very urgent.
The climax of the event was the presentation of a “Gold Saving Award” to the Kogi Women Miners Welfare Association Leader, Mrs Janet Ahiaba, for her service to humanity regarding the Kogi women miners and for depositing her car at the hospital for the women who survived an accident recently to be conveyed for treatment.
In her acceptance speech, Mrs Ahiaba expressed appreciation for the award and promised to do more.
The MMC Director called on well meaning Nigerians to work with the Kogi women miners to do more, most especially, at state and local government levels.
The Centre also released related images in commemoration of International Women’s Day (March 8, 2024) to sensitize off takers of mineral ores on the need to ensure responsible mineral sourcing practices in rural and urban areas in Nigeria.