Ghana’s mining industry urged to break barriers for women after decade of slow progress
The CEO of Ghana’s Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), Justina Nelson, has called for stronger gender inclusion in the country’s mining industry. Speaking at the 10th anniversary of Women in Mining Ghana (WIM Ghana) in Accra on December 11, 2025, she highlighted persistent challenges while celebrating a decade of progress for women in the sector.
Nelson praised WIM Ghana’s achievements but stressed the need for deeper collaboration to empower women across the mining value chain.
Nelson began by acknowledging WIM Ghana’s decade of 'courage, resilience, and vision' in promoting women’s roles in mining. She also pointed to recent gains in mineral royalties, noting a 40.18% rise in large-scale gold mining royalties for the first three quarters of 2025 compared to 2024.
Despite this growth, she outlined ongoing obstacles for women in the industry. These include unequal pay, gender bias, and workplace harassment. Current data from the Ghana Chamber of Mines shows women make up only 9-10% of the large-scale mining workforce, 9% of contractor roles, and 10% of junior positions. Their representation improves slightly at senior (14%) and professional (21%) levels. Nelson argued that greater inclusion would boost productivity, innovation, and governance. She urged stakeholders to create a sector where women are respected, safe, and empowered. While no specific partnerships were announced, she confirmed MIIF’s readiness to work with WIM Ghana and encouraged corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to support women in mining. MIIF’s existing WoMCom Scholarship Scheme has already funded over 90 female STEM students at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) in Tarkwa. Plans are now underway to extend the programme to universities in Ghana’s middle belt and northern regions by 2026, provided corporate backing is secured.
Nelson’s speech marked a decade of WIM Ghana’s advocacy while setting clear goals for the next ten years. The push for gender equity comes alongside rising mineral revenues, suggesting a potential opportunity to align economic growth with greater inclusion.
The expansion of the WoMCom scholarship and calls for CSR partnerships indicate practical steps toward increasing women’s participation in mining. Success will depend on sustained collaboration between industry leaders, government bodies, and educational institutions.
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