A new survey by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under its planetGOLD Project, has revealed that women in Ghana’s Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector remain heavily disadvantaged despite their significant contributions to local economies.
The study, conducted across four mining hubs in the Eastern Region, Dome, Hemang, Jampomgmane, and Dwenase showed that women miners, mostly aged 18 to 45 with limited formal education, are actively engaged in gold processing and income-generating group activities.
However, systemic barriers continue to hinder their growth.
EPA Gender Officer Jewel Kudjawu, who led the review, explained that women miners typically rely on sponsors for loans, which are repaid through the sale of processed gold.
Groups often lacked structured financial systems, business training, or formal savings mechanisms, leaving members vulnerable to losses and unable to scale up operations.
Few women held bank accounts, and none had accessed formal bank loans, instead depending on informal savings schemes.
This financial exclusion, Kudjawu noted, has become a major obstacle preventing women from moving up the mining value chain into concession ownership or technical roles such as operating excavators and trucks, positions dominated by men.
Beyond finance, women reported harassment from regulatory authorities, insecurity at mining sites, and cultural restrictions such as bans on children, certain foods, or clothing believed to affect mining fortunes.
The EPA stressed that while women already play a critical role in ASGM, they remain constrained by inadequate institutional support, limited financial literacy, and entrenched cultural taboos.
Kudjawu called for deliberate reforms, including; expanding women’s access to concessions, providing financial literacy and encouraging business bank accounts, challenging cultural taboos through community sensitization, and mainstreaming gender-responsive policies within regulatory agencies and mining companies.
Kudjawu said, Supporting women to advance in the mining value chain is essential for sustainable development, while gender-responsive policies and capacity-building interventions are critical to unlocking the full potential of women in Ghana’s ASGM sector.
However, the findings are expected to inform upcoming policy reforms as Ghana works to balance inclusivity with sustainability in the small-scale mining sector.
