Tarkwa nsuaem: Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF-Ghana), a Non-Governmental Organisation, has organised a workshop aimed at addressing inequalities in the value chains of the mining, petroleum, and cocoa sectors to enhance industry accountability and address regulatory gaps.
According to Ghana News Agency, the capacity-building workshop was funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Oxfam-Ghana and is part of WiLDAF-Ghana's 'Fair4All project'. The workshop focused on discussions around the Affirmative Action and Gender Equity Act 2024 (Act 1121) and the United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles (UNWEPs), which are part of the United Nation Guiding Principles (UNGPs).
Participants included thirty community leaders, company representatives, women action groups, Civil Society Organisations, and State Access to Justice Agencies. Mr. Billal Mallam Saani, the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Manager of WiLDAF-Ghana, highlighted that over the past four years, they have engaged stakeholders and beneficiaries under the project to explore ways to bridge gaps in the extractive industry.
Mr. Saani emphasized the importance of engaging participants in a learning and sharing approach to help identify best practices and innovative solutions being implemented in their respective communities to tackle gender inequalities in the industry. He noted that the workshop turnout was impressive, with more women participating than men, aligning with the organisation's values. He encouraged participants to share the knowledge gained and for company representatives to brief their management on relevant UN principles.
Dr. Emefa Priscilla Amenyah Kove, a lecturer at the Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, praised WiLDAF for bringing key stakeholders together to share concerns and develop collective solutions. She expressed optimism about the workshop's significant impact on participants and the institutions they represent.
Facilitators addressed provisions promoting women's empowerment, bridging inequality gaps, and outlined consequences for non-compliance with the Act's objectives. The Act aims for 30 per cent women representation in all fields by 2026, increasing to 50 per cent by 2030. They also discussed the UN guiding principles on women and empowerment, an international treaty Ghana has signed to promote women's economic empowerment in the extractive industry.
