Nairobi, 13 October 2015 (ECA) – The African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC), together with UN Women and other key partners, called for the breaking down of barriers for women to actively participate and benefit from the extractives industry in Africa.
According to UN Women, women’s needs and opportunities are often overlooked in the extractives industry, which can lead to disproportionate negative impacts such as family and social disruption, environmental degradation, loss of employment as well as risks to their security. Amina Tahiru, an artisanal miner from Guinea, said that women miners are mothers, sisters and friends to the community, and there is a need to empower them.
Historically, women working in mining are excluded from the extractives value chain, usurping them of opportunities and benefits they can bring to greater development. If not addressed, these factors could further widen the gender gaps in access to resources and resource-related opportunities.
In his speech during the event, Kenyan Minister of Mining Najib Balala, emphasized that women play a major role in the industry and that, “Mineral resources should benefit women.” Minister Balala asserted that the industry has so much to gain by involving and empowering women.
The Sharefair on Gender Equality in the Extractives Industry provided an opportunity for women to exchange knowledge and have a robust and honest dialogue to address the issues surrounding women miners. Rose Mwebaza, AMDC policy advisor, shared that “Mining has the potential for better life and increased opportunities for women and the industry has to be more gender-responsive.”
Ms. Mwebaza, together with AMDC economic affairs officer, Ms. Marit Kitaw, led a session on “Domesticating the Africa Mining Vision: involving women in the Country Mining Visions (CMVs),” which highlighted how women can be engaged in the development of the mining vision at the country level to ensure that gender equality perspectives are fully integrated in the domestication process. Ms. Kitaw stressed that there are opportunities for women to be actively involved in the CMV from the beginning, “CMV paves the way for meaningful participation of women in domesticating the AMV and this is an opportunity to create a gender-responsive environment for the industry.”
The three-day event aimed to:
- Strike a dialogue between government, civil society and the private sector to raise awareness on gender equality in the extractives industry
- Explore south-south collaboration in mining and gender equality
- Create knowledge exchange opportunities for women miners
- Develop a forward-looking communiqué for gender equality in Africa
The event, which also featured an AMDC exhibit, was timely as several African countries are now in the midst of developing their extractive policies. The dialogues in the Sharefaire aimed to create an opportunity for women to share their knowledge, practices, and recommendations in integrating gender equality in the traditionally male-dominated sector to bring greater benefits for all.
Issued by:
African Minerals Development Centre | Special Initiatives Division
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
P.O. Box 3001 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: dleoncio@uneca.org