Nigeria’s First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu has urged women to work together and support one another, be of encouragement to guide and inspire more women to take advantage of the mining industry to better their lives, and in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
She also said the mining sector provides a platform for women to prosper in a “traditionally male dominated field.
Represented by the wife of the country’s vice president, Hajiya Nana Shettima, at the first International Mining Women Conference, held on Thursday, she encouraged women in the country to rally around and key into the implementation road map and the opportunities that lie ahead.
“It takes courage, patience and boldness to persevere in a male dominated field”, she said.
“Women belong in(to) every industry, and buying and mining is not exception. Continue to dig deep, break barriers and let your strengths shape the future”, she emphasized.
She described the conference as an initiative aimed to process diversity, empower women, enhance productivity, innovation and overall sustainability of the sector.”This serves as a significant step towards improving gender equity in the mining sector”, the First Lady stated.
The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Dele Alake, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mary Ogbe, said the theme of the conference, ‘Empowering Women In The Mining Sector: Promoting Gender Equality, Economic Empowerment And Investment Opportunities, speaks directly to the urgent need to bridge the gender gap in the solid mineral sector and said for a long time, women have faced systemic challenges that limit their full participation in mining, from access to funding, to policy restrictions and social barriers.
“We will take a bold step to reshape the narrative and ensure that women are not just part of the mining sector, but are also leaders and key decision makers in this transformation”, he enumerated.
He commended the organisers of the conference for providing “a crucial platform that showcases these achievements, addresses the challenges women face and fostering partnership that will further support and amplify women participation in mining”.
Women Affairs Minister, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim emphasised on the inequalities in the mining sector which she described as “deeply troubling”. According to her, women make up only 6.8% of the mining workforce, with most of them on artisanal and small scale mining. She said it reflects marginalization in ownership, financing and leadership within the sector.
“This is an economic inefficiency we can no longer afford”, she pointed out.
She posited that the solid mineral sector contributes an estimated 7% in Nigeria’s GDP and has the potential to drive massive job creation and industrialization. However, it cannot achieve its full potential if women remain underrepresented.
“Women in this sector are already demonstrating resilience, and this needs to be backed by deliberate policies”, Mrs. Sulaiman-Ibrahim said.
The Deputy Representative, United Nations, Nigeria, said studies show that companies with a diverse workforce report higher innovation, as women bring unique perspectives to problem solving and operational efficiency. She also said gender responsive mining is actually a way to attract more investors to the sector.Th
House Committee Chairman on Solid Minerals, Hon.Jonatha Gazza Gbefwi said including women in mining techniques and promoting artisanal mining, matches best practices.
The First Secretary, Development Cooperation, Canadian High Commission affirmed that Nigeria is one of Canada’s most important economic partners in Africa, its largest trading partner in Sub Saharan Africa, and the biggest source of foreign direct investment into Canada from the region. For that reason, a peaceful, inclusive and prosperous Nigeria benefits not only its people, but the global economy.
“Peace and prosperity is everyone’s birthright, which is why Canada devotes time and resources to foreign policy, trade and development. We believe in partnerships that promote shared values and enhance our joint well being”, she said.
Organiser of the Conference, Ngozichi Okorie in her presentation said amongst other existing initiatives, women need to be more coordinated so as not to be isolated or segmented. She said the conference aims to change that by working collaboratively and investing in women owned businesses.
“We are ready to take the bull by the horn, by ensuring that we attract meaningful development and investments to women owned businesses. That’s the only way we can break the barriers of gender inequality”, she stated.