Mining communities continue to experience a rise in out-of-school children due to their pursuit of quick money through mineral exploration and other activities in the value chain.

N&G consulting firm Ltd, a specialist consultancy offering organisational development, leading change, organisational culture and coaching stated this in its report on an Overview of the Nigerian Mining Sector Gender Strategy.

Its project manager, Ngozichi Okorie, said this on Wednesday in Abuja.

Ms Okrie said the situation was part of the impact of mining that women experience in Nigeria.

The study is part of the efforts to implement the federal government`s ‘Roadmap for the Growth and Development of the Nigerian Mining Industry’, which aims to promote gender equity and female participation.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, unveiled the strategy on Tuesday.

The report highlighted that child labour and out-of-school were some of the challenges confronting mining communities. It revealed that mining activities particularly affected women and children the most.

“Women experience disproportionately the impact of mining, increased burden on responsibilities, conflicts and rights abuse, health associated impact and gender-based violence,” it stated.

According to the report, despite the women being the most affected, they were often excluded from consultations during negotiations on mining-related issues, describing the discrimination as systemic.

It listed the issues, including community consent to develop a mining project, access to land, compensation, royalties, and benefits from the community development agreement.

The study noted that, at the local level, the lack of appropriate education, awareness, skills acquisition, and training was hindering women’s effective participation in the sector.

It recommended that for the smooth implementation of the gender strategy, adequate resources should be allocated for the training of the implementation team, establishing implementing initiatives, engaging stakeholders, and building partnerships. 

(NAN)