Experts rally to eradicate women marginalisation in mining

Women, many believe, will play a major role in the development of the economy and the mining sector, but there are issues of marginalisation, segregation, and discrimination against the female gender in the sector.
 
Also, there are concerns that women are still a minority in the sector, especially in the lower-paid categories compared to their male counterparts.

She said: “Technology, smart innovations are coming up that give women the latitude to work. If you go to the Finland site and see what their women are doing, they use automated mining equipment for most of the job. Also, in Mali, where gold is mined, it is 100 per cent automated equipment. The women in these countries are more than the men working. In those days, engineering and geology is a no-go area for women, but now things are changed. More women are even going to school than men. Gender is not necessarily about women but balancing and equity.”
  
She noted that mining is a capital-intensive venture and involves lots of technicalities (sourcing for the mine site, obtaining permits, exploration works, dealing with community leaders in mining communities, setting up mines, equipment, site management, etc), which require external support.

On his part, the National President, Mining Association of Nigeria (MAN), Kabiru Mohammed, said there are efforts to bring on board the women in mining and share with them the knowledge and technicalities to move the sector forward.

He added that the role of women in the sector is key to its development, saying women are in the processing end of the industry.

He said: “Women are very much in gemstones, jewelry-making, and the likes. All these are part of mining; however, with the technology, they can do more in the mining field, in the bush, which in those days is more of the man’s job.
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Technology has reduced the level of physical labour that women can be scared of. We have now come of age where we say we are not going to do anything without women. We want the women to understand that the umbrella is there to accommodate them so that we can collectively measure up with the agenda of the government, and the mission that everybody has so that the sector can move forward.
 
“We need all hands to be on deck, and we are ready to share the leadership with the women so that we can show the government that the miners both male and female are equal to the task. We are also ready to key in to find ourselves on the steering seat of the economic diversification agenda of the Federal Government especially when it comes to the mineral sector, which is the key point as to where the government can source for revenue.
 
“Oil is going, and the whole world is focusing on solid minerals, industrial, and others. We are ready to accept everybody. All the members of women in mining are our sisters, and we are ready to bring them on board, let them key in and together we can make a force to reckon with. We don’t have any problem with women. Together we can work together as a team.”