Despite its potential to transform the lives of all Ghanaians, including women, Ghana’s mining sector has become one major area where women are marginalized and unfairly treated.
This is the observation of stateswoman, Dr. Joyce Aryee, when she interacted with the fellows of the Africa Extractive Media Fellowship (AEMF) during its mentorship session.
She says this is the everyday reality for countless women in Ghana’s mining sector. She reveals women who make up nearly half of the small-scale mining workforce yet remain invisible, unheard, and overwhelmingly underpaid.
Sadly, they take on the tasks that no one else wants, which are mostly dangerous roles that expose them to accidents, abuse, and crippling uncertainty. Despite this predicament, they earn far less than their male counterparts, a contradiction that speaks volumes about how deeply rooted the imbalance has become.
Even in the formal mining industry, the picture grows even bleaker. Out of every hundred workers, only fifteen are women. And when the conversation shifts to leadership, merely seven to twenty-five percent of senior positions are held by women. This indicates that the voices of women are conspicuously missing in the boardrooms.
Also, even on the Ghana Gold Board, only two seats out of twenty are occupied by women.
“Women represent up to 50% of the small-scale mining workforce, yet earn less than their male counterparts and often occupy the most dangerous roles. Only 15% of the formal mining workforce is female, and just 7–25% of senior roles in mining companies are held by women. Two out of 20 board members on the Ghana Gold Board are women,” Dr. Joyce Aryee said.
For women living in mining communities, the disconnect is even sharper. Nine out of ten have no idea how much revenue the minerals extracted from beneath their feet generate.
This means that they watch trucks move past their homes, carry ore worth millions, yet their own lives remain unchanged. They do not see better schools, clean water, or opportunities for their children.
“90% of women in mining communities are unaware of how mineral revenues are used,” she noted.
In this situation, the stateswoman did not hide her disappointment. With firm conviction, she emphasized that there is a need for the glass ceiling to be broken.
She stressed that when women lead, workplaces become healthier. Communities engage better. Decisions are taken with the future in mind, not just the profit of today. Inclusive leadership, she insisted, isn’t just a slogan; it’s the only way the mining sector can truly grow without leaving its most hardworking contributors behind.
She believes that it’s about time the state shines a light on the women who refuse to disappear into the shadows of pit walls and boardrooms. She believes the state must show them as examples of how the mining revenues are used. Moreover, they must be given platforms.
Dr. Joyce Aryee is envisaging a mining sector where gender equity is not a favour but a right.
For now, the women in the mining fields continue to rise before dawn, carrying hope on their backs like the heavy pans of mud they sift through. But what they need now is inclusive and ethical leadership that enhances organizational culture, community engagement, and sustainable development.
With this in place, she is convinced that Ghana’s mining will not only glitter with gold, but with fairness, dignity, and the voices of women who are long overdue for their place in the light.
