In collaboration with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Women in Mining Association, and the Zimbabwe Artisanal and Small-Scale Women Miners Association, the IGF convened a 3-day workshop to strengthen institutional knowledge and capacity for integrating gender equality into artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) policy frameworks across SADC.
The workshop brought together a diverse group of stakeholders—including government officials, representatives from women in mining associations, and civil society actors—to address structural barriers that limit women’s full participation in ASM and provide a platform for exploring strategies to respond to the realities faced by women miners in SADC countries.
During the training, participants reviewed existing challenges related to gender and ASM, drawing on insights from policy gaps, institutional fragmentation, and the limited visibility of women’s contributions in the sector. Participants and facilitators from across the SADC region in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa shared their insights from working on gender-related issues in the ASM context.
Through a combination of presentations, discussions, and group exercises, the workshop covered six key areas:
- introduction to ASM and gender equality
- barriers to women’s full participation in ASM
- regional SADC frameworks and their existing gaps
- inclusive regional approaches to ASM formalization and gender equality
- women’s health and safety challenges in ASM
- charting a path forward for women in ASM
Building on the workshop, a proposal for a regional ASM and gender framework is planned to be developed by the workshop participants, reflecting the unique experiences of women in the ASM sector across SADC member states.
Journalists from Mining Zimbabwe magazine attended the training and highlighted the important role that media stakeholders can play in promoting women’s empowerment in the mining sector. Read the initiative overview and interview with IGF’s Senior Policy Advisor on Gender and Social Inclusion, Ege Tekinbas.