© Mesbaha Zein

DAKAR (ILO News) – The ILO Regional Office for Africa (ROAF) and the Sectoral Policies Department (SECTOR) organized a regional tripartite meeting to identify the key challenges to and opportunities for the advancement of gender equality and decent work in large and small-scale mining in Africa.

The meeting, Women in Mining: Women for a more inclusive mining future in Africa , which took place in Dakar, Senegal, on 17-19 July 2023, brought together representatives of governments, workers and employers from 10 countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe).

Over three days, participants were encouraged to share their knowledge and experiences to achieve social justice for women in an industry that accounts for around 4.5 per cent of Africa’s GDP. The mining sector plays a critical role in driving economic growth and development on the continent and as such can be paramount to social justice and decent work.

“Africa is united in its fight against inequalities and discrimination. Africa is also united to advance gender equality and decent work for all”, stated Mr Samba Sy, Minister of Employment, Social Dialogue and Relations with Institutions of Senegal. Although the mining sector is largely male-dominated, the role of women is growing. However, it still lacks a reliable baseline regarding the working conditions of women. This hinders meaningful policy reforms and investments in gender equality and a more inclusive and diverse mining sector.
 

“Any real action to advance decent work and gender equality in mining requires the participation of both women and men and of representatives of governments, employers and workers”, underlined Ms Brumilda Britz, Chairperson of the Human Resources Committee of the Namibian Chamber of Mines.

Women are an essential pillar for the effective implementation of Africa's Mining Vision, in line with the African Union Agenda 2063, which stresses the need to empower women and achieve full gender equality in all areas of life, including employment.

“It does not matter on which side of the table you sit, because the challenges faced by women are common and known by all, in both large-scale and small-scale mining”, said Ms Vida Brewu of the Ghana Mineworkers' Union.

Participants highlighted that all workers in the mining sector should enjoy the right to a safe and healthy working environment and a workplace free of violence and harassment. Effective and inclusive social dialogue, which should also include multinational mining enterprises and local communities, are prerequisites for ensuring social justice and decent work for women in the mining industry in Africa.

The tripartite constituents adopted a set of building blocks for the development of national action plans, which will aim to deliver a future of work with decent work and gender equality in the mining sector.