African First Ladies have thrown their weight behind the Women in Mining Africa (WIM-Africa) $150 million five-year action plan designed to transform women’s participation in the continent’s mineral sector.

The initiative, which aims to move women in mining from “survival to significance,” was unveiled during the 2025–2030 WiM Africa Action Plan Validation Workshop Webinar, themed “Empowering Women, Safeguarding Children, Transforming Mining, Shaping the Future.”

Executive Director of WIM-Africa, Mrs Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji, described the plan as a collective roadmap focusing on capacity building, policy advocacy, economic empowerment, and sustainable development for women and mining host communities.

She noted that although Africa holds nearly a third of the world’s mineral wealth, women remain sidelined in the value chain.

To address this, the action plan will run on a seven-point agenda, including women-led mineral value addition, women-only mining zones and cooperatives, environmental and climate resilience, legal support, youth inclusion, research and digital development, and regional beneficiation programmes.