Dr. Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chairman of the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), has pledged the African continent’s commitment to equipping women with the relevant skills to actively participate in the mining sector’s value chain.
Addressing the International Women’s Day Forum 2024 organized by the Women Miners Association, Dr. Alake praised the organizers for spotlighting the progress and challenges faced by women in the mining sector.
He emphasized the importance of investing in women’s development for leadership in industry and governance.
“We live in a world where no one, no gender, should be left behind. The African Minerals Strategy Group is dedicated to empowering women with the necessary skills to participate in the mining sector’s value chain, from exploration and extraction to processing and commerce,” Dr. Alake stated.
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He announced that the AMSG, under his leadership, will conduct annual studies on Africa’s progress in empowering women in the mining sector and publish findings on subsequent International Women’s Days.
Dr. Alake urged Africa to prioritize value addition as the strategy for wealth retention, stating that African Ministers of Mining are committed to policies that discourage the export of raw materials and promote the industrial processing of minerals into semi-finished goods for export.
“This will reduce the negative impact of unequal trade, which African scholars view as a form of neo-colonialism. The faithful implementation of this policy will create more jobs and deepen capital formation in the mining industry,” he added.
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Dr. Alake was unanimously elected as the Chairman of the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) during the “Invest in African Mining Indaba” in South Africa. The AMSG advocates for value addition and maximum beneficiation from Africa’s vast mineral resources for the development of member countries.