Solidaridad West Africa, an international civil society organisation, has developed a gender and social inclusion policy in collaboration with the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners (GNASSM) for the small-scale mining sector in Ghana.
The policy, which is currently being validated by stakeholders at a two-day workshop in Kumasi, capital of the Ashanti region, is aimed at securing more roles, higher positions and better-paying jobs for women in the sector.
The organisation played an integral role in formulating the policy based on some data collected from GNASSM members during a series of workshops it organised in the past.
Development watchers see the plan as a game changer particularly in communities where females are not welcomed at mining sites because of a myth that their menstrual cycle causes gold to vanish.
Some mining groups and firms in the country also shut the doors of employment opportunities on women with the excuse that they, unlike their male counterparts, are not bold enough to go into mining pits or mine underground for gold.
Participants at the ongoing validation workshop are discussing the need for society to throw away the age-old view that women are not strong enough to work in the mining sector or they lack the technical capacity required to belong there.
They are also discussing the need to push for women to receive the same pay as their male counterparts so long as they are doing equal jobs.
Participants are expected to return to their various zones with copies of the policy and hold further deliberations on it with other members of the association, pending the adoption of the document.
“The move made by Solidaridad West Africa is apt,” remarked Zumah Baba Yaro, Secretary of the Bolgatanga District Branch of GNASSM and leader of the Upper East Region’s delegation at the workshop.
“I say so because women generally are very responsive and responsible. When given more opportunities in the mining sector, their involvement will even inspire the men to be more cautious and more mindful of the safety measures small-scale mining groups are expected to comply with,” he added.
The workshop ends today.
More about Solidaridad West Africa
Solidaridad West Africa has been around for more than 50 years, developing solutions to make communities more resilient and create more sustainable supply chains.
Its solutions are fashioned to support the transition to an inclusive economy that provides sustainable livelihoods with fair and profitable business opportunities.
Solidaridad “plays a catalytic role in improving the well-being of farmers, miners, workers and their communities in West Africa through the promotion of climate-smart agriculture, best practices and partnerships”.
The organisation is focused on developing sustainable markets that work for poor people, to eradicate global poverty.
Headquartered in Ghana’s capital, Accra, Solidaridad West Africa has a legal presence in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria with operations in Chad and Togo.
The organisation also intervenes in cocoa, cotton, oil palm, artisanal mining, aquaculture, poultry, fruits and vegetables and local food systems for “decent working conditions, a fair living wage and production in balance with nature”.
Its objectives are to “reduce poverty for farmers and workers through optimized production, natural resource use and business management and ownership; to improve ownership of sustainability standards/frameworks at national and producer levels; and to increase demand for sustainable products by both local and international consumers”.
It also seeks to “strengthen data systems for participatory and inclusive decision-making and fundraising; develop systems, structures and processes for the sustainable financing of West Africa’s agenda; and increase visibility for women and youth through active participation, creation of platforms and highlighting gender concepts”.
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org/Ghana
