Mining sector urged to leverage women’s productive capacity
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Ghana’s mining industry must leverage the diverse talent and productive capacity of women to contribute to the growth of the sector, the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Berenice Owen-Jones, has said.
She explained that embracing gender diversity would not only promote inclusivity but also enhance innovation and efficiency within the sector and ultimately benefit the broader economy.
“Gender equality is a powerful driver for economic growth and social cohesion, and it makes communities and the world safer, more secure and prosperous. Gender inequality undermines global prosperity, stability and security.
A smart thing to do is for the mining industry to tap into the diverse pool of talent and productive capacity of women. So as an industry, investing in women’s empowerment is more urgent than ever,” she said.
At a breakfast meeting organised by the Australian High Commission in collaboration with Women in Mining to mark International Women's Day, Ms Owen-Jones said that would generate economic growth, income opportunities and better lives.
The event brought together women in the mining sector to discuss major challenges they face in the sector and proffer solutions to them.
This year's International Women's Day was on the theme: "Investing in Women: Accelerate Progress".
She said the mining sector remained a male-dominated area, adding that “as part of the High Commission's effort to bridge the gender gap in the mining sector, the commission had collaborated with Women in Mining to train women in the sector to equip them with the necessary knowledge to take up leadership roles.”
Despite the challenges, Ms Owen-Jones congratulated the few women in the mining sector and urged them to make meaningful impact in their respective roles.
The President of Women in Mining, Ghana, Georgette Barnes Sakyi-Addo, explained that this year's International Women's Day was to celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about discrimination and take action to drive gender parity.
She said although the association continued to advocate more women's participation in the mining value chain, they had also created awareness of issues that continued to hamper women participation.
Mrs Sakyi-Addo said despite efforts by organisations to push for gender equality in the mining sector, the progress made was not encouraging.
"As though civil society organisations (CSO), NGOs and other organisations have pushed for gender balance, the progress has been slow.
We need our male champions to come on board to help drive change," she said.
Challenges
Highlighting some of the challenges women face in the sector, the President of Women in Mining said “we need to save the environment for mental health, physical and social spaces, maternity and child care environment and access to technology that eliminates harmful practices on communities".
As part of solutions to the issues confronting women in the sector, she made an appeal to the government to support the push for diversity in the mining space through deliberate policies.
