Home Business Legal African First Ladies Back $150...

African First Ladies Back $150M Plan to Empower Women Miners

Legal

BusinessHonor - African First Ladies Support Women Miners

Business Honor
29 September, 2025

WIM-Africa’s five-year action plan focuses on legal support, empowerment, and sustainable development for women miners.

A new $150 million, five-year program headed by Women in Mining Africa (WIM-Africa) to change the role of women in the continent's mining sector has garnered the resounding backing of African First Ladies. Moving women in mining from merely surviving to having more relevance and influence is the main goal of the plan.

With the theme "Empowering Women, Safeguarding Children, Transforming Mining, Shaping the Future," the concept was introduced during the 2025–2030 WiM Africa Action Plan Validation Workshop Webinar. Its goals are to boost women's participation in mining, enhance their skills, and promote sustainable development in mining communities overall.

The plan is a cooperative framework, according to the organization's Executive Director Mrs. Comfort Asokoro Ogaji. Building capacity, advocating for improved policies, economic empowerment, and sustainable development that benefits both women and mining host communities are among its top priorities.

Women are still mostly left out of the full advantages of the mining value chain, even though Africa has about one-third of the world's mineral resources. Promotion of women-led mineral value addition, creation of women-only mining zones and cooperatives, support for environmental and climate resilience, legal aid, youth engagement, research and digital innovation, and regional beneficiation programs are the seven main pillars of the action plan, which aims to address these issues.

The program also targets to strengthen current legal frameworks to protect the rights of women miners and make sure they have access to the legal support they need. By taking a complete approach, WIM-Africa hopes to change the mining sector across Africa and effect permanent change that authorizes female miners. This motivated approach is an important step towards the long lasting success in Africa's mining industry and gender equality.