JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Kalagadi Manganese executive chairperson Daphne Mashile-Nkosi has called on State-owned development finance institutions (DFIs) to invest more in ventures supporting women in mining.

She told delegates at the second day of the yearly Mining Lekgotla, in Sandton, that commercial banks usually assessed projects based on their risk, but that they often failed to acknowledge how a particular project could benefit the country in terms of empowerment.

“It seems as if State-owned DFIs are now using the same risk metrics as the commercial banks,” she said, adding that there was a deficit in understanding the value of female empowerment.

Mashile-Nkosi emphasised that gender equality had been one of the central pillars of the struggle against apartheid and, therefore, it was logical that it was expected of the democratic system to promote gender equality.

She added that South Africa still had a long way to go in this respect. “Despite various messages that state that women should be given equal opportunity and included in industry, women still continue to experience serious barriers in every respect.”

It was also important that womens' empowerment in mining not be contained solely to providing them with skills and training, but that women also moved towards the owning of assets; and as mining was capital intensive, financial support would be needed, Mashile-Nkosi said.

“As women, we hope that the State-owned DFIs will live up to their responsibility to women in mining,” she added. 

As mining would continue to play an important role in the South African economy, the playing field had to be levelled, Mashile-Nkosi said, adding that an innovative approach and partnership was needed to scale up women’s role in the mining industry and the broader economy.

“I hope that one of the outcomes of the Mining Lekgotla would be a definitive statement by all parties, including government, committing to enhancing the definitive participation of women in mining.”