Women urged to take up roles in the mining sector

Women’s participation in the mining sector remains low and there is a need for more to be done in encouraging them to take up opportunities in the sector, Juliet Manteaw-Kutin-Head of Legal at AngloGold Ashanti, has said.

She said although the sector held a lot promise for women many are not bold enough when opportunities come their way and usually fail to take advantage of job offerings in the sector.

“So, all I am saying is that when you get an opportunity as a woman to take up any role, step-up; take the position, say you can do it and while you are there figure out how you are going to do it: just the willingness to do something can actually propel you to achieve it,” she said.

Madam Manteaw-Kutin, who spoke on the topic: ‘Mainstreaming Gender in the Mining Value-chain: Opportunities and Challenges’, at the Ghana Mining and Energy Summit 2019 in Accra, said more young women should be encouraged to take up the science and also visit the mines to see women in the industry.

On challenges that hinder women participation in the mining industry, she said: “There aren’t too many impediments in terms of industry, I think it is more of the educational level; we are not getting enough women who are qualified technically to come into the industry.

Admittedly, the industry is doing a lot more to encourage more women, but we just don’t have enough women in that category to take up more opportunities,” Madam Manteaw-Kutin said.

She said what needed to be done was to encourage the women to take up the sciences and to visit the mines as part of their curriculum.

This, Madam Manteaw-Kutin added, will go a long way to help them appreciate that they can actually take up opportunities in the sector.

“Once we make this attractive and we encourage our children from childhood to start pursuing these courses we will get a lot more in the industry,” she said.

Madam Manteaw-Kutin said the industry was willing to take on women but there were just not enough women to be taken on, adding that “In Anglogold Ashanti we give preference to women as much as we can and we accommodate women by given them flexible hours.”

“I think that women should step up any time they are given the opportunity, don't think we are not capable, we are capable and a lot of people have done it before and you can also do it,” she added.