Kenya—Every June 15, the world celebrates the International Day of Women in Mining, acknowledging women’s strides in the sector.
The mining sector is a critical catalyst for economic growth and transformation globally. Therefore, gender and social inclusion in the industry must be encouraged to ensure equal opportunities to contribute positively to the sector.
For a long while, the mining sector was predominantly male-dominated, with inadequate inclusion of women in different areas of mining, especially leadership and senior levels.
Join over 10k Partners and investors in Africa in our weekly emailing subscription list.
A recent study by Solidaridad East and Central Africa on the Production Systems of Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining communities in Kenya highlighted that women face various hurdles.
A major one is long working hours with no fair return on investment and, in some cases, lack of assurance of pay.
Women also have minimal control of mining equipment and are not fully involved in mine site leadership and decision-making processes.
They are overburdened mainly by their reproductive roles, limiting their participation in mining activities because of time constraints.
Land resources also present challenges in terms of ownership, access, and control, which negatively impact their involvement in the mining sector.
Additionally, women lack adequate information on environmentally sustainable practices and mining in line with improving their socio-economic conditions, which makes them vulnerable to climatic shocks such as floods and drought and puts them at risk of poisoning by various chemicals used in gold processing such as mercury and cyanide.
A multi-stakeholder approach involving the relevant stakeholders in the mining sector, such as the National and county governments, Civil Society Organizations, and the private sector, is needed to create interventions geared towards supporting women’s maximum involvement in the mining sector.
Training and capacity-building sessions on gender and social inclusion in the sector will also enhance women’s involvement in leadership and decision-making in the sector and improve their working conditions in mining.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get industry reports and deals happening in Africa.
Establishing gender champions, both male and females in the mining communities also plays a key role in improving gender and social inclusion in the mining sector.
This year, for International Women in Mining Day, Solidaridad East and Central Africa has collaborated with Women in Mining Kenya (WiMa) to undertake an event closer to the mines in Migori County to encourage maximum participation of women working at different levels.
“Our goal as WIMA is to offer a multifaceted approach to minimizing health risks that women go through in mining through offering training, capacity building, research and product development to come up with products geared towards offering solutions to some of these health risks,” said Grace Akinyi, founder of Women in Mining, Kenya.
The event has offered a platform for women to share the joys and pains of their experience in the mining sector.
The event also sensitised the women in mines to the importance of wearing PPE while mining to ensure their safety.
Opinion piece by Rita Njeri Atuti: She is a Senior Project Officer at Solidaridad Etly implementing 3 ASM gold programs in Kenya. She has a background in Environmental science and governance and has worked with ASM communities for over five years.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get industry reports and deals happening in Africa