The head of Nigeria’s Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, has called for increased involvement of women in the mining sector. He expressed concern over the low number of women working in the industry, especially in leadership positions.
Dr. Orji pointed out that a male-dominated mining sector limits women’s opportunities for jobs, training, and investment. He also highlighted challenges faced by women in the industry, including safety concerns, cultural biases, and unequal pay.
He said: “At the heart of our discussions at this Roundtable are two major issues of common concern- fiscal justice and inclusion to put on the agenda as commitments and considered major components of the ongoing reforms of the Solid Minerals Sector.
“For us in NEITI, we also need our partner, Global Rights to consider specifically and pay greater attention to the issues of gender equity and inclusion. To be specific, Women inclusion. Women’s participation in the mining and steel sector has become an issue of debate and advocacy globally. This is in view of the negative implications of a male-dominated extractive industry characterised by limited access for women in areas of employment opportunities, training, skills acquisition, investments and exposure to issues on managing natural resources endowments.”
To address these issues, NEITI is pushing for policies that promote gender equality and financial fairness in the mining sector. They also want to collect data on the specific challenges faced by women and children in mining communities.
