By Timothy Agbor, Osogbo
Women artisanal miners in Osun State, yesterday, decried constant attacks by some male criminal elements at their various mining sites across the state.
The women, who called for assistance and support, urged the state government to grant them licence to enable them operate fully.
They said they were tired of being artisanal miners and needed modern equipment and security protection to mine properly.
The artisanal miners stated this during a policy dialogue organised by a non-governmental organisation, Centre for Gender Economies in Africa in Osogbo.
However, the artisanal miners, who spoke at the event, said their challenges include lack of security at their mining sites, funding, lack of modern equipment and failure of government to license them, among others.
The state Coordinator for Women in Mining, Osun State chapter, Dolapo Oyaniyi, said there are over 8,000 female artisanal miners in the state and called on the state government to grant them mining licences, funds and modern mining equipment for them to operate optimally.
Oyaniyi said those who buy the products they mined at the mining sites later ambush them and rob them of their money.
She said: “We are more than 8,000 women artisanal miners in Osun State. We formed our association since 2019 and ever since, we have been battling challenges in this job. One of our major challenges is finance. We want government to give us funds so that we can make this mining work very easy. We need machines like washing plant and excavator to be able to mine on larger scale.”
Also speaking, legal adviser for the women miners, Sakirat Ashafa Olaore, said: “We have issue of security. A lot of times women face security challenges and we have instances where those who bought items from them waylay them and collect the money.
They rob them of cash and items. So, the issue of security is important. We need security agents to be on ground. There are times that violence occur at mining sites populated by women and there is no one to help them. The issue of licence is very important.”
In their separate reactions, government officials from concerned ministries called on the female miners to approach appropriate agencies, familiarise themselves with some financial institutions in order to get needed assistance.
Representative of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Development and Community Affairs, Ajibola Falode, advised the women miners to organise themselves into cooperative groups to get financial support easily.
Earlier in his remarks, Executive Director of CGE Africa, Uchenna Idoko, represented by the organisation’s Finance Manager, Mike Okpe, said: “Artisanal mining plays a significant role in our nation’s economy, providing employment opportunities and contributing to local communities’ development.
However, it has often been an industry marked by challenges, gender disparities and limited opportunities for women to participate and benefit equally.
Source: The Guardian