Create enabling environment for women to thrive, realise full potential – MIIF
The Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) yesterday marked International Women’s Day in Accra with a call for the creation of an enabling working environment for women to thrive and realise their full potential.
Speaking at a forum organised by MIIF to mark the day, the President of Women in Mining, Mrs Georgette Barnes, stressed that creating an enabling working environment was a way of empowering women to excel and contribute towards the country’s socio-economic growth.
The forum was under the theme: ‘For All Men and Girls Rights, Equality, and Empowerment.’
According to Mrs Barnes, the level of discrimination that women in the various sectors of the economy, especially the mining sector, was high.
Such levels of discrimination that women faced, especially in the mining sector, which was dominated by men, Mrs Barnes, said, tend to demoralise women from working and taking leadership roles in mining companies.
Apart from the issue of discrimination, she noted that issues such as sexual harassment, mining laws, social vices against women in mining communities, and how mining equipment were designed often put women at the disadvantage.
Mrs Barnes again mentioned that it was, therefore, important for women to be empowered and encouraged to participate and take leadership roles in the mining sector through education.
The Chief Executive Officer of MIIF, Mrs Justina Nelson, pledged the organisation’s commitment to gender equality, emphasising that true empowerment could only be achieved through education, economic opportunities, and a strong support system.
It is against this backdrop, she said, that MIIF launched the Women from Mining Communities Scholarship Scheme (WOMCOM) in June last year.
The initiative, she emphasised, aimed to educate up to 1,000 women from mining communities as well as bridging the gender gap in education.
“This initiative in assessing the girl child will be replicated in her universities in order to empower the girl child to pursue academic excellence in the mining field,” she indicated.
According to her, the initiative aligns with MIIF environmental, social, and governance strategy and was key to closing the gender gap in the mining sector.
Moreover, she stated that the first batch of 41 students for the 2024-2025 academic year was approved in November last year, and procedures were underway for the next batch to be inculcated under the WOMCOM programme.
“Empowering women and girls is not just a moral obligation. It is an economic imperative. Studies confirm that investing in women’s education and economic participation strengthens economies and builds more inclusive communities,” Mrs Nelson pointed out.
BY CYNTHIA ASAMPANA
