The Economic Justice for Women Project (EJWP), in collaboration with the Southern Africa Trust (SAT), has launched a new initiative aimed at addressing gender inequality and promoting climate justice in Zimbabwe’s lithium-rich regions.
Titled Enhancing Feminist Agency and Building Transformative Regional Solidarity Alliances against Exploitative Extraction, the project seeks to amplify the voices of women — particularly young women — affected by mining activities in areas such as Bikita, Buhera, Goromonzi and Mberengwa.
With Zimbabwe’s lithium deposits gaining global attention amid the push for renewable energy, concerns have grown that local communities, especially women, are being left behind. According to EJWP project officer Tanyaradzwa Jura, extractive activities have brought more harm than good — fuelling inequality, displacement, and environmental degradation, while excluding women from both decision-making and the benefits of mining operations.
“There is limited gender-focused advocacy in regional extractive discourse,” Jura said. “The extractive sector has historically been a source of environmental harm and socio-economic exclusion, particularly for women.”
The initiative aims to create a strong grassroots feminist movement that can influence policy at national, regional, and global levels. Central to the project is the use of feminist participatory action research, led by affected communities themselves, to generate evidence and push for policy reforms that reflect lived realities.
Jura emphasised the need to empower women as leaders in climate and extractive justice movements. “We want to document and amplify community stories and experiences, and connect them with policymakers and regional actors,” she explained.
By building solidarity across the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the project hopes to challenge exploitative mining practices and ensure that the transition to green energy is inclusive and just. The initiative also seeks to strengthen eco-feminist movements and promote shared learning and advocacy across the region.
