The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has unveiled the Women in Mining in Nigeria strategy document.

Speaking at the event, he described the strategy as a significant milestone in the sector.

He said that the move was a demonstration of the commitment of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the Ministry of Steel Development to fostering diversity.

He said that the strategy was aimed at promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, adding that it was focused on driving productivity for the nation’s sustainable development.

“It also focuses on improving the opportunities for women to benefit from both sectors sustainably in policy, regulatory, operational, and commercial (large scale, medium scale, small scale, and artisanal levels), and value and supply chain roles.

“This strategy is not just a document but a call to action and a blueprint for stakeholders to create a more inclusive and gender-balanced mining and steel sector. It provides a guideline and framework to guide ‘both ministries, their agencies, and stakeholders to integrate gender equality and women’s empowerment priorities into their policies, programmes, and initiatives, ’’he said.

He acknowledged the contributions of women to the success and sustainability of the mining sector, saying that their talents, expertise, and perspectives were critical to the success and growth of the industry.

According to him, Nigeria is not immune from the biases perpetuated against women in the two sectors.

In addressing the situation, he said that the federal government had prioritised gender equity and female participation in its “Roadmap for the Growth and Development of the Nigerian Mining Industry.

He said that as part of the efforts of MSMD and the Ministry of Steel Development to implement the road map, the Mineral Sector Support for Economic Diversification engaged a consultancy to develop the gender strategy.

He said that to achieve the objectives of the strategy, its institutional capacity would be strengthened for effective gender mainstreaming.

He added that women’s participation in leadership and governance roles within the mining sector and communities would be increased.

“Promoting women’s economic empowerment and rights and eliminating all barriers (structural and systemic) that hinder women’s meaningful participation, access and control over mining resources and benefits, ’’he said.

The minister added that they were committed to building partnerships across a wide range of stakeholders to achieve the vision of the strategy.

He said that the WIMIN strategy was firmly rooted in the principles of equality, diversity, and empowerment and was a call to action for stakeholder mobilisation towards a more inclusive and gender-balanced industry.

Earlier in her remarks, the national president of WIMIN, Dr Janet Adeyemi, described the launch of the strategy as an opportunity to galvanise support and implement actions to address the entrenched gender disparities within the mining and steel sectors.

Represented by the national secretary, Emily Ofodile, she said that women within these industries continue to encounter multifaceted barriers that hinder their full participation and advancement.

On her part, the permanent secretary of MSMD, Dr Mary Ogbe, urged women to be change agents at all levels and urged organisations to have gender focal persons to help in coordinating related matters.