Executive Director of Women in Mining Africa, WiM-Africa, Dr. Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji, has called on women in the mining industry across the continent to abandon unhealthy competition and embrace meaningful collaboration as the pathway to sustainable growth.
She made the call while addressing participants at a week-long hybrid engagement for women miners and mining entrepreneurs in Sierra Leone.
A statement signed by her in Abuja warns that rivalry among women’s groups weakens collective progress, stressing that collaboration remains the most effective tool for building shared power and advancing Africa’s mining sector.
“Collaboration is the true alternative to competition,” she said. “When women compete destructively, it divides our strength. But when we collaborate, we build power that moves the sector—and the continent—forward.”
The statement explains that cooperation is especially critical in the artisanal and small-scale mining, ASM, sector, where women can benefit from functional cooperatives, joint ventures, shared equipment models, and support systems that enhance safety, productivity, and profitability.
It adds that mining companies and associations must also form strategic partnerships and joint advocacy programs that strengthen institutions rather than compete for recognition.
According to the statement, Dr. Asokoro-Ogaji urges all women in mining Chapter to adopt the network NextGen program and invest deliberately in developing young female professionals.
The statement notes that the next decade must produce a new wave of skilled women leading innovation, policy, ESG and enterprise within the industry.
It further encourages WiM chapters to adapt WiM-Africa’s leadership models, fellowships, and institutional frameworks to strengthen their structures and ensure continuity of impact, saying: “Copy all that there is to copy from WiM-Africa if it helps you build stronger systems.”
According to the statement, Dr. Asokoro-Ogaji also calls for deeper cooperation between women-led businesses, mineral sourcing companies, beneficiation industries, and continental policy bodies.
It stresses that such alliances must align with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 to ensure that women occupy central roles in responsible mineral value chains and Africa’s economic transformation.
The statement reaffirms WiM-Africa’s commitment to driving a unified, inclusive, and sustainable mining landscape through the implementation of its Five-Year Action Plan (2025–2030), which focuses on empowering women miners, strengthening cooperatives, and expanding value addition across the continent.
