The Nigerian arm of an association of global women miners, Women in Mining Nigeria (WIMIN), in collaboration with the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), Ford Foundation and the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development will launch a Girls 4 Mining (G4M) Initiative to commemorate the International Women’s Day tomorrow (March 8, 2022), in Abuja.
A statement by the president, WIMIN, Hon. Janet Adeyemi said WIMIN will use the national symposium to mark the 2022 IWD and a formal launch of the club.
She said the focus of the initiative will be to give orientation to girls on the need to embrace mining and related courses of study, adding that the club will lead the way for girls who will embrace mining or related courses as an area of academic specialisation.
Discussing the objectives of the activities, Adeyemi explained the need to celebrate active members of WIMIN while encouraging young girls to embrace the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and other mining-related courses needed for the economic diversification in Nigeria.
She expressed optimism that the mainstreaming of women along all value chains of the solid minerals sector will yield economic benefits to the country, as well as improve the socio-economic well-being of all women in mining.
Adeyemi called on relevant stakeholders to join hands with WIMIN to ensure the success of the initiative.
