Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) Chief Executive Officer Justina Nelson has called for deeper gender inclusion equity and empowerment across Ghana’s mining value chain at Women in Mining Ghana (WIM Ghana) 10th anniversary celebration in Accra. She argued on December 11 2025 that a more inclusive sector will advance gender equity while strengthening productivity innovation and governance within the country’s mining ecosystem.
Mrs Nelson commended WIM Ghana for a decade of courage resilience and vision applauding the organization for championing advocacy leadership development and opportunities for women in a historically male dominated industry. She emphasized the call represents a push for systemic change ensuring women are not just present in the industry but fully empowered to lead influence and thrive in mining operations.
Drawing on Ghana Chamber of Mines 2023 data Mrs Nelson highlighted persistent gaps in women’s participation in mining. Women account for 9 to 10 percent of large scale mining workforce 9 percent of contractor workforce 10 percent of junior level roles 14 percent of senior positions and 21 percent of professional roles. She described these as interesting figures far from where they need to be for industry transformation.
Mrs Nelson outlined critical challenges women continue to face in the mining industry including inequitable earnings gender bias and harassment. The MIIF CEO referenced her own experience since assuming office at MIIF at the beginning of 2025 describing bombardment with false publications and malicious attacks simply for putting things in their right perspective. She stood before the gathering not as a victim but as a woman who refuses to be distracted urging women to hold and defend one another because they are few at the top.
The Fund has implemented the Women from Mining Communities (WoMCom) Scholarship Scheme supporting brilliant but financially needy female Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students. Over 90 young women from University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) in Tarkwa have already benefited from the initiative. MIIF plans to broaden collaboration with local and international partners to expand the scheme to universities in middle belt and northern Ghana in 2026 depending on corporate Ghana support.
Mrs Nelson used the opportunity to commend corporate Ghana for support expressing hope they will continue to collaborate with the Fund to uplift more women into mining space as part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The goal is to ensure women from mining communities are not left behind in Ghana’s mineral driven transformation according to the CEO.
MIIF reported significant improvements in Ghana’s mineral royalty inflows for 2025 reflecting strengthened regulatory compliance and investor confidence. Large scale gold mining recorded 291.87 million US dollars in royalties representing 40.18 percent increase from 2024. Mid tier gold operations generated 59.44 million Ghana cedis representing 46.38 percent rise from previous year.
Manganese sector achieved remarkable 170 percent surge in royalty inflows increasing from 4.72 million US dollars in 2024 to 12.75 million US dollars in 2025 driven by improved production and stronger compliance by operators. Quarry industry recorded 13.12 percent rise in royalties from 11.62 million Ghana cedis to 13.15 million Ghana cedis. Sand mining sub sector saw 21.48 percent increase climbing from 364998.58 Ghana cedis to 433406.41 Ghana cedis in same periods under review.
Mrs Nelson described these figures as underscoring strong momentum in Ghana’s mineral revenue outlook. She urged stakeholders to build a mining sector where women are respected safe visible and empowered. MIIF stands ready to partner with Women in Mining Ghana to champion a future where gender does not limit potential according to the CEO.
Women in Mining Ghana was established to promote advancement of women in natural resources sector for economic empowerment and positive transformation of communities at local sub regional regional and global levels. The organization advocates for participation representation leadership and inclusive empowerment of women in extractive sector addressing challenges in largely male dominated industry.
Globally women account for just 8 to 17 percent of mining workforce with only 12 to 14 percent holding senior leadership roles according to industry data. Ghana’s numbers show women making up roughly 10 percent of large scale mining workforce. Industry experts emphasize technology can accelerate inclusion further through digital transformation reducing physically intensive manual work.
Technology has revolutionized gold purchasing testing and concession applications directly empowering women in small scale mining operations. Real time pricing applications and advanced testing equipment project gold purity on screens in real time leveling the playing field for female operators. Mercury free gold recovery technologies gravity concentrators and centralized processing facilities create opportunities for women to take on research advocacy and operations leadership roles.
The mining sector remains critical to Ghana’s economy accounting for significant portion of export earnings and government revenue. Strengthening gender inclusion contributes to broader development objectives of supporting private sector growth innovation and job creation. Empowering women in mining addresses both economic efficiency concerns and social equity imperatives for sustainable development.
Mrs Nelson congratulated WIM Ghana on its 10 year milestone expressing hope that next decade will bring even greater transformation for women in industry. The anniversary celebration brought together senior officials lecturers sponsors and guests to recognize achievements in advancing women’s participation in mining sector. The event highlighted formation of networks and alliances supporting women’s professional development across value chain.
President John Dramani Mahama appointed Mrs Nelson as Acting Chief Executive Officer of MIIF in January 2025. She holds Master of Laws in Corporate and Commercial Law Master in Business Administration in Marketing Bachelor of Laws Honours degree and Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Management and Psychology. Her appointment marked first time a woman leads the sovereign minerals fund.
Under her leadership MIIF reported assets under management reaching 919.39 million US dollars as of June 2025 representing 58.46 percent increase from 2024 year end balance of 580.21 million US dollars. The fund manages and invests Ghana’s mineral income for long term national value creation under Minerals Income Investment Fund Act 2018 (Act 978) as amended.
The Fund has introduced reforms strengthening governance investment portfolio and social impact initiatives during current administration. Leadership focuses on innovation transparency and sustainable development in line with mandate to maximize benefits from Ghana’s mineral resources. MIIF engages stakeholders across mining value chain to ensure operators remain fully compliant and committed to obligations.
The call for gender inclusion aligns with broader national development objectives and international commitments to gender equality. Sustainable Development Goal 5 emphasizes achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. Addressing persistent gaps in women’s participation in mining contributes to economic growth social stability and equitable distribution of resource benefits.
Women in Mining Ghana continues advocacy for policy changes supporting female participation across all levels of mining operations. The organization provides platforms for networking mentorship and professional development enabling women to overcome barriers in male dominated environment. Partnerships with government private sector and development organizations strengthen capacity to deliver programs supporting women’s advancement.
The scholarship scheme represents strategic investment in building pipeline of qualified female professionals for mining sector. Supporting STEM education for girls from mining communities addresses root causes of underrepresentation in technical roles. Long term success requires sustained commitment from multiple stakeholders including government mining companies educational institutions and civil society organizations.
MIIF’s commitment to gender inclusion extends beyond rhetoric to concrete programs delivering measurable impact. Expanding scholarship coverage to additional regions ensures broader access to opportunities for talented young women. Corporate partnerships through CSR initiatives multiply resources available for supporting women’s advancement creating shared value for companies communities and national development.