The Initiative for Women Miners in Africa (IWoMA) is a Pan - African aims to mitigate the harsh working conditions of women artisanal miners in African rural communities through advocacy programs and projects. Our approach is to continuously engage and work with operational local NGOs, CBOs, community groups, cooperatives, associations, trade groups and women networks across the African continent.
We provide the necessary information, knowledge, skills and capacity required for women miners to boost their sources of livelihood through opportunities.
The initiative for women miners seeks to address the harsh conditions of women artisanal mining and advocate for improvements by facilitating responsible environmental, economic and social approaches to mining.
IWOMA will continue to provide leadership to existing local NGOs, CBOs or associations focused on women miners in Africa and build capacities of women in the upstream, midstream and downstream of the solid minerals sector for better social and economic returns with sustainability in mind.
Live Webinar;
How to Obtain Grants For Humanitarian Needs Associated with Women Miners’ in African Mining Communities.
Date; 21st March 2024
Time; 11;00 WAT/10;00 GMT
Where?: Online/Virtual Event
The goal of the event is to assist operational women NGOs in Africa, working with vulnerable women miners in rural communities, to understand the basic requirements to be grant-ready and eventually be able to coordinate their affairs to access donors and grants.
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Panel of Contributors
Dr Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji MD Richflood Ltd & Director, Africa Minerals and Miners Centre, London, United Kingdom
Ndilisa Didiza, Managing Director and Geospatial Specialist, Kgothatso Innovations, Johannesburg, South Africa
Baba-Jallah Epega, Vice Managing Director, Epega Marketing & Communications Agency Ltd (EMCA), Lagos, London, Dubai
Fatoumata Diatigui Diarra, Conseil Fiscal,Ordre des Conseils Fiscaux du Mali/ALT, Bamako Mali
Eng. Lightness Ladislaus Salema, CBWA-TZ- Country head, Thamani Madini & WIMO - Tanzania
Sara Turnbull, Senior Exploration Geologist, Johannesburg Office, SRK Exploration, PhD Candidate at University of the Witwatersrand- South Africa.
Sri Sushma Gullapalli, Business Head - West African Mining Sector, B5 Plus Group, Accra - Ghana
Key Recommendations
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Countries in Africa need to Make mining laws and economic policies gender-inclusive continuously
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The need to Advance women's social protections at the mine and home.
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The need to Account for gendered differences in occupational health and safety efforts at mine sites
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Capacity building is key to growth. African women are urged to build capacities in their areas of interest in the commodity value chain.
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African women should collaborate and consider having corporate partnerships for solid minerals processing and export corporations.
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Universities should collaborate with the MMC to create centres of excellence across the continent for innovations and capacity building.
Poor working conditions, sanitation, and violence, as well as domestic work, disproportionately impact women's artisanal and small-scale miners' health and earnings, relegating them to low-paying roles and 90 times more at risk of death than men.
Gender discrimination, enshrined in mining laws, and disregard for health, safety, and social protection limit the rights and economic opportunities of women artisanal and small-scale miners. According to the new World Bank report, Women in artisanal and small-scale mining face formidable challenges that require urgent action to ensure they are safe and can thrive in the mine and at home.
The importance of gender equality in artisanal and small-scale mining cannot be overemphasised. Women miners and girls' empowerment, and their rights to healthier lives and safer mining practices is a powerful development tool.
Kogi Women Miners Wellfare Association's Leader gets a Gold Lifesaving Award
Watch the full Interview with Mrs Janet Ogory Ahiaba below to understand the Kogi Women Miners Dilemma
Artisanal Women Miners in Rural African Communities
Engaging and enhancing the capacities of rural women miners as key agents for achieving transformational economic, environmental and social changes in Africa is required for sustainable livelihoods in the mining communities and families. It is well known that women dominate the mining sector informally in most African Countries but have limited access to credit, health care and education among the many challenges they face.
IWoMA's focus on empowering women miners in rural communities is key to the well-being of individuals, families and rural communities and overall economic productivity, given women’s large presence in the rural mining workforce in Africa.
IWoMA Initiatives aims to improve the working conditions of women in rural mining communities in Africa by initiating skills development programs, leadership and management knowledge geared towards improving the way mining is done and reducing the attendant risks associated with the harsh approach adopted in most cases.
IWoMA programs, targeting grassroots also advocate for responsible mineral sourcing from women and children through engagements with the off-takers, governments and non-governmental associations involved in the minerals supply chain.
Zimbabwe; Women call for parity in mining sector
Women in the small scale and artisanal mining sector have decried the unlevel playing field in the lucrative sector, saying their participation is still limited despite contributing significantly to the overall gold production in the country.
Gender inequality is rife in the mining sector, with the Zimbabwe Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Council, estimating that of the 500 000 artisanal miners in the country, 153 000 of them are women and children.
What are the Gender Dimensions of Child Labour in Mining?
Child labour in mining is gendered. Girls and women primarily wash the minerals, sell food and products around the mining site, are involved in sex work in the mining area and perform household duties. To address the root causes of child labour, its consequences and its gendered dimensions, as well as avenues for intervention in artisanal and small-scale mines (ASM), the Women’s Rights and Mining (WRM) working group organised a virtual roundtable on June 16, 2022.
DRC
Can African women benefit from mining?
When you think of a Congolese miner, I bet you picture a man. But one in four miners in Africa are women — like Bibicha Sanao, who pans for gold to support herself and her family.
Mining can be hazardous work, for anyone. But women face specific barriers that men don’t. They get paid less and face discrimination, in laws and in cultural norms.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, seven out of 10 women work in the informal economy, with no benefits like child care, pensions or health care.
Women in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining
The role of women in ASM is significant, as they make up around over 70 per cent of the total workforce in the artisanal cycle most often reffered to as illegal miners.
Women have always been part of the mining workforce. Women have primarily been involved in stone breaking manually in the pits, haulage, stone breaking, crashing, sluicing, washing, panning, sieving, sorting, mercury-gold amalgamation, amalgam decomposition and, in rare occasions, actual organised mining.
Unsafe, Unequal Working Conditions - Tanzania Case Study
In Tanzania, Women represent up to 50% of the workforce in mines, however their contribution is not fairly rewarded. Women miners lack access to skills and resources to improve their income.
Furthermore, cultural barriers and gender-based discrimination force them to take on low-paid and low-skilled jobs in the mines.
They also face severe health risks and are exposed to sexual and gender-based violence. This leaves them vulnerable to unwanted pregnancy and the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. These challenges impact women, their families, the communities they live in, and the gold industry as a whole.
Fair Share for Women Miners - Kenya Case Study
In Kenya, ASM sector employs over 10000 workers, majorly informal and majority of them being women. The mining sector has immense potential to be a core driver of Kenya’s economic revival. It would achieve a higher representation of women and gender-inclusive strategies within the sector and lead to safer work practices for rural women miners if correctly managed. Read More
Artisanal mining is poorly regulated and often not taxed, and women artisanal miners are exploited by companies who buy their produce cheaply. The use of child labour and mercury in small-scale mining are critical human rights and health issues that need to be addressed. The legalization of artisanal mining in Kenya’s new Mining Law 2016 provided a great opportunity for artisanal miners, including women, to properly organize their activities and have potential access to legal markets. Read More
Partner with Us at IWoMA
For us to to reach rural women miners in the states of Africa, and to make an impact in the lives of the women mining in very harsh conditions, we need your help.
You can support IWoMA Project in selected localities in your state in many ways;
1. Information about the locations of the women in the rural communities needing help desperately
2. Technical and professional advice,
3. Project Sponsorship
Please get in touch with iwoma.president@mineralscentre.com
Date; 5th December 2024
Venue: Business Design Centre, London N19LA
IWoMa Women Meeting, London
Women meet to discuss opportunities available in the mining sector and the gender issues and changes possible. Some of the most significant barriers and challenges faced by Women in the Mining Industry include cultural and societal norms, occupational health and safety concerns, limited access to education and training opportunities, and work-life balance issues.
The meeting with women is focused on promoting and empowering women to progress their careers, overcome professional challenges and build confidence for achievement and industry leadership in mining.
Who can Attend;
Attendance is free and everyone is welcome, regardless of gender or location to attend.
The event offers a platform to network and advance professional goals and career aspirations amongst women in the UK. The key objective is to support personal development and stir up professional interest in all corners of mining-related businesses and professions.
Our meetings whether large or small, connect attendees, inspire action, and advance our vision of proactively engaging women people in the industry use these occasions to learn from one another and demonstrate the power of networking and the community.
Hope to see you at the meeting.