Justina Nelson Calls for Women-Led Mining Sector

  

The Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), Mrs. Justina Nelson, has called for deeper gender inclusion, equity and empowerment across Ghana’s mining value chain, describing it as critical to productivity, innovation and good governance in the sector.
She said a truly inclusive mining industry must go beyond token representation to ensure women are empowered to lead, influence decision-making and thrive at all levels.
Mrs. Nelson made the call while delivering the keynote address at the 10th anniversary celebration of Women in Mining Ghana (WIM Ghana) in Accra, where she praised the organisation for a decade of advocacy and leadership development 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 Ghana Chamber of Mines data, Mrs. Nelson highlighted persistent gender gaps in the sector, noting that women constitute only 9–10 percent of the large-scale mining workforce, 9 percent of contractors, 10 percent of junior-level roles, 14 percent of senior positions, and 21 percent of professional roles.
“These are interesting figures, but they are far from where we need to be,” she stressed.
She identified challenges such as unequal pay, gender bias and workplace harassment as barriers to women’s advancement, drawing from her own experience since assuming office earlier this year.
“I have been bombarded with false publications and malicious attacks simply for putting things in their right perspective. 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 building a more inclusive mining sector, highlighting the Women from Mining Communities (WoMCom) Scholarship Scheme, which supports brilliant but financially disadvantaged female students pursuing STEM programmes.
She disclosed that over 90 students from the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, have already benefited, with plans to expand the initiative to universities in Ghana’s middle belt and northern regions in 2026, subject to support from corporate Ghana.
“Our goal is to ensure that women from mining communities are not left behind in Ghana’s mineral-driven transformation,” she said.
She commended corporate Ghana for its support and urged continued collaboration with MIIF to elevate more women into the mining sector through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
Mrs. Nelson also announced significant improvements in mineral royalty inflows for 2025, attributing the gains to strengthened regulatory compliance and increased investor confidence.
For the first three quarters of the year, large-scale gold mining generated US$291.87 million in royalties, a 40.18 percent increase over 2024, while mid-tier gold operations recorded GH₵59.44 million, representing a 46.38 percent rise. Royalties from manganese surged by 170 percent to US$12.75 million, with growth also recorded in the quarry and sand mining subsectors.
“These figures underscore strong momentum in Ghana’s mineral revenue outlook,” she noted.
Mrs. Nelson concluded by urging stakeholders to help build a mining industry where women are respected, safe, visible and empowered, reaffirming MIIF’s readiness to partner with WIM Ghana to advance gender inclusion.
She congratulated the organisation on its 10-year milestone, expressing optimism that the next decade would deliver even greater progress for women in the mining industry.