The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), Mrs. Justina Nelson, has made a strong case for deeper female inclusion across Ghana’s mining value chain, warning that the sector risks undermining its own productivity, innovation and governance if entrenched gender gaps are allowed to persist.
She said hard data continues to reveal deep structural imbalances that must be urgently addressed.
Citing figures from the Ghana Chamber of Mines’ 2023 report, she noted that women account for only nine to ten per cent of the large-scale mining workforce, nine per cent of contractor staff, and just ten per cent of junior-level positions.
Representation improves slightly at higher levels, but remains far from equitable, with women occupying 14% of senior roles and 21% of professional positions.
She argued that the numbers reflect not a lack of capacity among women, but systemic constraints that continue to limit their entry, progression and retention within the sector.
Speaking as the keynote guest at the 10th anniversary celebration of Women in Mining Ghana (WIM Ghana) in Accra, Mrs. Nelson said the future sustainability of Ghana’s mining industry depends not only on capital, technology and regulation, but also on deliberate efforts to unlock the full potential of women, who remain significantly underrepresented at all levels of the sector.
She described gender inclusion not as a symbolic gesture, but as a necessary structural reform that would strengthen decision-making, improve operational outcomes and broaden the social impact of Ghana’s mineral wealth.
According to her, true progress will only be achieved when women are not merely present in mining spaces, but are fully empowered to lead, influence policy and thrive across the entire mining value chain.
Commending WIM Ghana for a decade of advocacy and leadership, Mrs. Nelson praised the organisation’s resilience in confronting long-standing barriers in what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry.
She said the group’s work had reshaped national conversations around women in mining, challenged stereotypes and created pathways that were previously inaccessible.
“Your work has helped shape national perceptions, amplified women’s voices, challenged stereotypes and opened doors that were once firmly shut,” she told the gathering. “MIIF salutes you.”
Mrs. Nelson did not shy away from the realities facing women who do break into leadership positions in mining and related institutions.
She identified inequitable earnings, persistent gender bias and harassment as ongoing challenges, adding that these pressures intensify at the top of the professional ladder.
Drawing from her own experience since assuming office at MIIF earlier this year, she revealed that her leadership has been met with sustained misinformation and personal attacks.
“I have been bombarded with false publications and malicious attacks simply for putting things in their right perspective,” she said.
Yet, she framed her response not in terms of victimhood, but resolve.
“I stand here today not as a victim, but as a woman who refuses to be distracted,” she told the audience. “Let us hold and defend one another, for we are few at the top.”
Against this backdrop, Mrs. Nelson reaffirmed MIIF’s commitment to building a more inclusive and progressive mining sector, stressing that empowerment must begin early and be anchored in access to education and opportunity.
She highlighted the Women from Mining Communities (WoMCom) Scholarship Scheme as one of the Fund’s flagship interventions aimed at closing the gender gap from the grassroots.
The programme supports brilliant but financially needy female students pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, particularly those from mining communities.
So far, more than 90 young women from the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) in Tarkwa have benefited from the scheme.
Looking ahead, Mrs. Nelson announced plans to expand the initiative beyond Tarkwa.
She said MIIF intends to collaborate with local and international partners to extend the scholarship scheme 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, appealing to private sector players to see female inclusion as both a social responsibility and a strategic investment.
She commended corporate Ghana for its existing support and urged companies to deepen collaboration with MIIF and WIM Ghana, particularly through Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives that deliberately target women’s participation and advancement in mining.
Mrs. Nelson’s address also placed gender inclusion within the broader context of value creation and national benefit from Ghana’s mineral resources.
She revealed that MIIF has recorded significant improvements in mineral royalty inflows in 2025, reflecting stronger regulatory compliance and rising investor confidence.
For the first three quarters of 2025, large-scale gold mining generated $291.87 million in royalties, representing a 40.18 per cent increase over 2024.
Mid-tier gold operations recorded GH₵59.44 million, a 46.38% rise, while manganese royalties surged by 170% to $12.75 million.
The quarry industry posted GH₵13.15 million in royalties, marking a 13.12% increase, and sand mining contributed GH₵433,406.41, up by 21.48%.
“These figures underscore strong momentum in Ghana’s mineral revenue outlook,” she said, adding that the country now has a unique opportunity to align growing mineral revenues with inclusive development outcomes.
Mrs. Nelson concluded with a call for collective action to build a mining sector where women are respected, safe, visible and empowered at every stage of the value chain.
She pledged MIIF’s readiness to partner with Women in Mining Ghana to advance policies and programmes that ensure gender does not determine opportunity.
“As MIIF continues to secure Ghana’s mineral revenues, we stand ready to champion a future where gender does not limit potential,” she said.
She congratulated WIM Ghana on its 10-year milestone and expressed confidence that the next decade would deliver even deeper transformation for women in Ghana’s mining industry, not as beneficiaries on the margins, but as leaders at the centre of the country’s mineral economy.
