The Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), Mrs Justina Nelson, has urged stakeholders to deepen gender inclusion, equity and empowerment across Ghana’s mining value chain, describing it as essential to building a more productive, innovative and well-governed sector.
She stressed that true inclusion must go beyond representation to ensure women are fully empowered to lead, influence and thrive within the industry, calling for systemic change across the mining ecosystem.
Mrs Nelson made the call while delivering the keynote address at the 10th anniversary celebration of Women in Mining Ghana (WIM Ghana) in Accra. She praised the organisation for a decade of “courage, resilience and vision,” noting its role in advocacy, leadership development and the creation of opportunities for women in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
“Your work has helped shape national perceptions, amplified women’s voices, challenged stereotypes and opened doors that were once firmly shut. MIIF salutes you,” she said.
Citing 2023 data from the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mrs Nelson highlighted persistent gender gaps in the sector. Women currently make up about 9–10 per cent of the large-scale mining workforce, 9 per cent of contractor staff, 10 per cent of junior-level roles, 14 per cent of senior positions and 21 per cent of professional roles.
“These figures are interesting, but they are far from where we need to be,” she noted.
She identified key challenges facing women in mining, including pay inequities, gender bias and harassment, and shared personal reflections from her tenure at MIIF. Since assuming office earlier this year, she said she had faced false publications and malicious attacks.
“I stand here not as a victim, but as a woman who refuses to be distracted. Let us hold and defend one another, for we are few at the top,” she told the gathering.
Mrs Nelson reaffirmed MIIF’s commitment to promoting an inclusive and progressive mining sector, highlighting the Women from Mining Communities (WoMCom) Scholarship Scheme, which supports academically gifted but financially disadvantaged female students pursuing STEM programmes. More than 90 students from the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, have already benefited.
She disclosed plans to expand the scheme to universities in the middle belt and northern Ghana in 2026, subject to support from corporate Ghana and development partners.
“Our goal is to ensure that women from mining communities are not left behind in Ghana’s mineral-driven transformation,” she said.
Mrs Nelson commended corporate Ghana for its continued support and called for stronger collaboration with MIIF to uplift more women in the mining sector through corporate social responsibility initiatives.
She also noted significant improvements in Ghana’s mineral royalty inflows for 2025, attributing the gains to stronger regulatory compliance and growing investor confidence.
