SPEECH ON THE WOMEN IN MINING EXHIBITION 2023 DELIVERED BY VIOLA. M.

MUSAFWA, NKANA TRUST STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE, AT GARDEN COURT

HOTEL ON 29th, MARCH 2023.

Guest of honour, distinguished guests, members of the organization, ladies and gentlemen,
I greet you and thank you for the privilege of addressing you on the topic of the involvement of
women in the mining sector.
For years, women have been considered as far inferior to men. They have been seen as
physically incapable of working in the mining industry and in the past, were even labeled as bad
luck if they set foot in a coal mine. This did not stop women from fulfilling their role of building
their societies. They washed, cooked, made clothes and chopped wood. They raised families,
established small schools and wrote for newspapers and their work helped turn some mining
camps into successful, permanent towns.
However, ladies and gentlemen, you are aware that women’s capabilities are not limited to
just these things. Women are much more proficient at doing things than even they themselves
sometimes realize. To have a woman participate in an economy building industry such as mining
is to have a valuable asset.
So how, guest of honour, ladies and gentlemen, can we encourage more women into this
industry and support them well enough so that they stay? We can start by advocating flexibility
and better options around childcare to aid female professionals to balance onsite and off-site
commitment. Women tend to have more family responsibilities than men, so attention to family
healthcare services should also be given.
Furthermore, demonstration of equal respect and value in the workplace should be a value
held by all workers. Their work must feel valued equally to that if their male counterparts.
Women participation in mining is often limited by traditional gender roles. If
encouragement, guidance, information and technical training is made available, it can alleviate
some of the barriers that have otherwise risen from prejudiced concepts.
It gladdens me to see that the women in mining network has already recognized a lot of the
many problems faced by women in the mining industry and have chosen to take dedicated action
against them.
Ladies and gentlemen, I implore you to continue this fight against gender biases in the
mining industry and encourage you to continue the recruitment and elevation of women in this
industry for it is women like these who become the protagonists of stones many young girls such
as myself are inspired by.
As a young female grade twelve student who is soon to advance into both womanhood and
society, it is encouraging for me to see a normally male dominated industry such as this one
make progression in involving and empowering women in both onsite and leadership positions.
 As someone aspiring to one day become a successful engineer, seeing such an indulgent
conduct of men and women working together as a force pushing women and economies towards
development makes me glad and hope to one day officially join this force and work towards the
growth of the economy and society of this country and the world at large.
Guest of honour, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you all
again for this opportunity to speak to you and for your attention.
God bless you all.