At 16% Employment, NEITI Calls for More Women Inclusion in Nigeria’s Mining Sector

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has called for more women inclusion in Nigeria mining sector, insisting that women must be given a seat at the table in Nigeria’s extractive industries.

The organisation, in a statement in Abuja urged collective efforts to break the barriers hindering women’s inclusion and create meaningful opportunities for their active participation across the sector.

According to the statement, NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji, made the call during his keynote address at the 6th Nkechi Isigwe Annual Lecture (NIAL), organised by the Association of Professional Women Engineers in Nigeria (APWEN) in Abuja.

Represented by the Director of Policy, Planning, and Strategy, Dr. Dieter Bassi,  the NEITI boss underscored the urgent need for deliberate actions to foster gender equity in a sector long dominated by men.

“NEITI has placed special attention on gender equity and inclusion, particularly with a focus on women. Globally, the debate around women’s participation in the mining and steel sectors is gaining momentum. A male-dominated industry characterised by limited access for women—whether in employment, training, investment, or decision-making—is unsustainable and counterproductive,” Orji asserted.

Highlighting key employment data from NEITI’s recently released 2022 and 2023 Oil and Gas Industry reports, Orji lamented the persistent gender imbalance in Nigeria’s extractive industries.

In 2023, women made up just 16 per cent of the 8,693 employed in the sector, a slight decrease from 17 per cent in 2022.

“Despite the overall increase in employment, the low percentage of women in the sector reflects a significant gap that we must close. We need to create avenues for women to actively contribute across the entire value chain of the extractive industry,” Orji added.

He stressed that women could thrive in mining, but only if decisive, intentional steps are taken. “Companies must adopt policies that prioritize gender diversity and inclusion. We must elevate and celebrate women leaders in the sector to inspire the next generation,” he said.

In her remarks, Isigwe, a member of NEITI National Stakeholders Working Group and founder of the annual lecture series, highlighted the vast opportunities available for women in the oil, gas and mining sector and  emphasised the need for youth empowerment, particularly given Nigeria’s youthful demographic.

Also,  the current President, of APWEN, Dr. Adebisi  Osim, called on the industry to challenge gender stereotypes and offer more pathways for women to thrive.