The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has said that the state government is reviewing its policies in the state’s mining sector to create more opportunities for women to participate in the sector.
The governor said this yesterday in Benin during a policy dialogue organized by the Women in Mining Nigeria in collaboration with Edo State Investment Promotion Office (ESIPO), with support from Ford Foundation.
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Represented by the Commissioner for Mining, Oil and Gas, Ethan Uzamere, Obaseki said the state was building the capacity of female participants in the sector to ensure gender equality.
He said with key positions in his administration occupied by women, it was evident that women had capacities to perform and must be encouraged and promoted.
“We are going through some reforms in terms of policies to help the state participate in developing the mining sector. The mining sector is on the exclusive list of the federal government. But we are trying to do something different through the Ministry of Mining, Gas and Oil. We are willing to partner with Women in Mining in order for the female gender to gain from the industry.”
Commissioner for Social Development and Gender Issues, Mrs Maria Edeko, said women were the worst hit by the insecurity challenge in the country as their farms, businesses and children were the targets.
She advocated for policies that would protect the women as they engaged in hazardous jobs in the mining industry as well as other sectors.
Managing Director, Edo State Investment Promotion Office (ESIPO), Mr Kelvin Uwaibi, noted that mining and agriculture were key priority areas for Edo State, hence the need for women to play actively in the space.
