The three-day training was organised by Women in Mining (WIM), Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with support from Ford Foundation, West Africa. Participants were drawn from Huni-Valley, Nsuta and Nsuaem.

The participants were taken through practical training in baked food such as bread, vegetable and meat pie, liquid soap making, after wash and bleach.

Addressing participants at the function, Madam Diana Nkrumah, a member of WIM Ghana team, said in 2022, WIM Ghana with support from Ford Foundation, commissioned the Gender Mapping Research to generate evidence on the gender imbalances existing in the mining sector.

She said the research study was focused on exploring the activities of women groups (women professionals, entrepreneurs, in Artisanal Small-scale Mining and women living in communities affected by mining) in intervention areas in the Eastern and Western regions of Ghana.

The findings of the study posit the need for mentorship, capacity building, public education, and institutional awareness as vital strategies for promoting gender diversity and inclusion in the mining industry, Madam Nkrumah noted.

She explained that in view of this, WIM Ghana aim to organize training workshops to strengthen knowledge, improve upon the skills and offer empowerment opportunities for targeted women groups.

The member of WIM Ghana team stressed that the activity was envisaged to help in the effort to address issues of diversity and inclusion and to contribute to transforming the structurally embedded unbalance gender relations existing in the mining industry.

Additionally, Madam Nkrumah said: “The training was meant to provide women in the mining communities with alternative livelihood so they would have something sustainable to depend on in times of emergency where they needed backups to support themselves and families.”

She expressed satisfaction with the turn out and encouraged the women to take their newly acquired skills seriously, adding that, “It’s been good for us because most of these women are already in groups so, it’s easy putting them together. We have given them some of the items to start something on their own.”

Madam Nkrumah thanked Ford Foundation and the leadership of WIM Ghana for the opportunity offered the women to set up their own businesses to improve upon their standard of living.

Mrs Cynthia Tetteh, Secretary of Manganese Ladies Association, on behalf of her colleagues, said “although we are professionals, we still need these livelihoods programmes to sustain our daily lives. We buy these products often but now we can produce them on our own and save money.”

She commended Ford Foundation and WIM Ghana for the training and pledged they would make use of the skills attained and the items they have received to enhance their well-being.

WIM, Ghana, aspires to promote the advancement of women in the natural resources sector for their economic empowerment and the positive transformation of communities at local, sub-regional, regional, and global levels.

They also target to increase the number and retention of women along the mining value chain, an initiative that is geared towards contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 1, 5, 8 and 10.

Its activities encompass women in mining related fields such as industry, academia, governance, supplies, providing services, and Artisanal Small-Scale Mining (ASM).