Politics

THE Ebonyi chapter of Women in Mining in Nigeria (WIMIN) is seeking more government support to improve mining activities in the state, advance the sector and boost the economy.

The organisation’s state coordinator, Ms Sylvia Ogbuinya, said this during its scorecard and strategic planning meeting, tagged “Impact, Evaluation and Sustainability”, held in Abakaliki on Wednesday.

She said that the mining business in the state had suffered a lot of challenges, ranging from lack of equipment, limited access to funds, and insecurity among others.

Ogbuinya, however, appreciated the organisation’s success story over the years, as women miners in the state could now boast of having their own sites.

“When we started mining, our members were not allowed to have their own sites but today, we have overcome such discrimination in the business.

“We have had a series of workshops for members over the years and we’re making progress.

“We, however, need funds, equipment and manpower,” she said.

According to her, the funds can be used for purchasing equipment, financing, and mine development and production.

“We need more support from the three tiers of government and individuals in order to support capacity building.

“Women miners have come to stay; we pledge to work as a team to bring the business to the limelight in Ebonyi,” she said.

Meanwhile, a former Commissioner for Solid Minerals in the state, Mr Francis Orji, said mining was pertinent to building the economy and urged the women to keep the flag flying.

He emphasised the need for capacity building, advising the women to utilise the knowledge acquired over the years to keep transforming the business.

The state Commissioner for Aviation, Mrs Ngozi Obichukwu, represented by her Special Assistant, Mr Nwafor Chizoba, congratulated the women for their impressive record and called for teamwork.

Mrs Lilian Ugbo, the women miners’ coordinator in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area branch, counselled on embracing transparency and accountability to advance the sector.

A consultant to the women miners, Mr Kelechukwu Okezie, said the scorecard exercise was necessary to reflect on the organisation’s level of success over the years.

“I call on members to continue to support their leadership and work as a team; together we can achieve more.

“You must also embrace strategic planning because if you don’t plan, you’ll fail,” Okezie said. (NAN)

4th December, 2024.C.E

Tags:

Related Posts