The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) is championing a bold call to action: women must be given a seat at the table in Nigeria’s mining and extractive industries.
The organization urges collective efforts to break the barriers hindering women’s inclusion and create meaningful opportunities for their active participation across the sector.
The call was made by Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, NEITI’s executive secretary, during his keynote address at the 6th Nkechi Isigwe Annual Lecture (NIAL), organized by the Association of Professional Women Engineers in Nigeria (APWEN) in Abuja.
Represented by Dieter Bassi, director of policy, planning, and strategy, Orji underscored the urgent need for deliberate actions to foster gender equity in a sector long dominated by men.
“NEITI has placed special attention on gender equity and inclusion, particularly with a focus on women. Globally, the debate around women’s participation in the mining and steel sectors is gaining momentum. A male-dominated industry characterized by limited access for women—whether in employment, training, investment, or decision-making—is unsustainable and counterproductive,” Orji asserted.
Highlighting key employment data from NEITI’s recently released 2022 and 2023 Oil and Gas Industry reports, Dr Orji lamented the persistent gender imbalance in Nigeria’s extractive industries. In 2023, women made up just 16% of the 8,693 employed in the sector, a slight decrease from 17% in 2022.
“Despite the overall increase in employment, the low percentage of women in the sector reflects a significant gap that we must close. We need to create avenues for women to actively contribute across the entire value chain of the extractive industry,” Orji added.
He stressed that women could thrive in mining, but only if decisive, intentional steps are taken. “Companies must adopt policies that prioritize gender diversity and inclusion. We must elevate and celebrate women leaders in the sector to inspire the next generation.”
NEITI’s commitment to this cause is clear. The organization has developed a framework for gender reporting and inclusion that not only enhances transparency in gender-related data but also promotes policies that encourage women’s participation at all levels.
The ES encouraged women to engage actively with NEITI reports and to use the data to demand transparency and accountability in the management of Nigeria’s natural resources.
Nkechinyere Isigwe, a member of NEITI National Stakeholders Working Group and founder of the annual lecture series was also former President of the Association of Professional Women Engineers in Nigeria.
In her address, Isigwe highlighted the vast opportunities available for women in the oil, gas and mining sectors and emphasized the need for youth empowerment, particularly given Nigeria’s youthful demographic.
Meanwhile, the current President, of the Association of Professional Women Engineers, Adebisi R. Osim, called on the industry to challenge gender stereotypes and offer more pathways for women to thrive.
The 6th Nkechi Isigwe Annual Lecture (NIAL) provided a platform for engineers and key stakeholders to chart a course towards a more inclusive future for Nigeria’s extractive industries.
The message was clear: the potential for women to transform the sector is immense, but unlocking that potential requires intentional action and structural reform a statement signed by Chris Ochonu, assistant director of communications and Stakeholders Management.
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