By Kemi Akinseye
As Nigeria seeks to unlock the full potential of its mining and agricultural sectors, stakeholders are drawing urgent attention to a long-standing imbalance: women, despite forming the backbone of production, remain locked out of the resources and decision-making power needed to thrive. At a recent roundtable in Jos, voices across government, civil society, and enterprise converged to demand reforms that move beyond rhetoric and deliver tangible economic inclusion.
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s mining and agriculture sectors have renewed calls for urgent and far-reaching policy reforms to dismantle structural barriers limiting women’s access to finance, land, and leadership opportunities.
The call came during a high-level roundtable convened in Jos by the Ziva Community Initiative (ZCI), in collaboration with Women in Mining Nigeria, Plateau State Chapter, with support from Spring Nigeria and SRD Engaging Borders. The event, held to commemorate International Women’s Day 2026, brought together a diverse group of women artisanal miners, agro-entrepreneurs, policymakers, and development partners.
At the heart of the discussions was a shared concern: while women play critical roles across mining and agricultural value chains, their contributions remain largely undervalued and undercompensated.
Executive Director of ZCI, Emily Offodile, stressed that the time for dialogue without action has passed. According to her, conversations around inclusion must now translate into measurable outcomes that empower women economically and institutionally.
“Women are central to production systems, yet they are excluded from the benefits. We must bridge the gap between participation and reward,” she said.
In her keynote address, gender and public policy analyst, Plangdat Dayil, described women’s labour in both sectors as “invisible but critical,” pointing to entrenched systemic barriers that continue to deny them fair value. She identified limited access to finance, land ownership restrictions, poor data systems, and exclusion from formal markets as persistent challenges.
Dayil advocated gender-responsive budgeting, improved data collection, expanded financial inclusion, and safer working environments. She emphasised that equitable redistribution of value is not only a matter of fairness but a prerequisite for sustainable development, particularly in resource-rich communities.
A panel session featuring industry practitioners and development experts further highlighted the practical realities women face. Contributors, including Eucharie Onodu of Women in Mining Nigeria, Talatu Goman of Gomamty Global Services, Jackse Lean of PLASMIDA, and Boniface Agbo of Seek Peace International, underscored the urgent need for inclusive policy frameworks, enterprise support systems, and capacity-building initiatives tailored to women-led businesses.
Beyond policy discussions, participants shared firsthand experiences during an interactive session, painting a stark picture of the challenges on the ground. These ranged from unsafe and exploitative working conditions in mining sites to restricted access to credit facilities and limited market opportunities for agro-processors.
Despite these challenges, the roundtable concluded on a note of cautious optimism. A commitment session saw stakeholders pledge concrete actions, including mentorship programmes, advocacy for policy reforms, and the provision of financial and technical support aimed at strengthening women’s economic participation.
Participants also called for robust accountability mechanisms to ensure that these commitments translate into real impact, stressing that sustained collaboration across sectors will be critical.
As Nigeria continues to pursue economic diversification through mining and agriculture, stakeholders insist that meaningful inclusion of women is not optional—it is essential for long-term growth and resilience.
