Mopani copper mine has held its first Women in Mining Business Forum & Exhibition aimed at facilitating networking and strengthen business linkages for Women in the mining sector.
Mopani Copper Mine Chief Executive Officer has underscored the need for stakeholders in the Mining sector to enhance Women empowerment in the mining sector in Zambia.
Speaking during the opening of the first Mopani Women in Mining Business Forum & Exhibition held in Kitwe, Mopani Chief Executive Officer Charles Sakanya said Women in Zambia and the Sub-Saharan region have been struggling to benefit from the opportunities of large-scale mining operations and often disproportionately suffer from the negative impacts of the industry.
Sakanya said Women’s economic empowerment is essential to ensuring that the benefits of the mining and minerals sector are shared widely by the community. “It is Mopani’s desire to increase local spend and we recognise the urgent need to invest in our women.” He added
He added that, “For the mining industry to become a vehicle of inclusive economic growth, gender considerations and women’s economic empowerment must be integrated into every phase of mining projects. Mopani is abreast with this fact and commits to ensuring that no one is left behind.”
He explained that Mopani’s Corporate Social Responsibility aims to contribute to building thriving and resilient communities through community social investments and local economic development and shared value. “We want to achieve this through our Policy to include women in mining which is part of the Local Enterprise Development (LED) programme, by instituting capacity building initiatives that empower women, local communities and Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) for competitive relevance.”
He said to ensure that these initiatives are sustainable and inclusive, Mopani employ a consultative approach to draw from best practices and lessons learned through continued engagements with stakeholders and the forging of important partnerships.
“This forum is a trigger for a wider programme in which Mopani intends to implement a supplier development programme which will elaborate a process of closer relationships with suppliers, on a one-to-one basis, with the goal of improving their performance which will be monitored by my office to ensure women participation increases in the next years to come.” According to his speech made available to the Zambian Business Times – ZBT.
Mopani Copper Mines PLC in collaboration with private sector development organisation, Prospero Ltd and the Copperbelt University (CBU) Africa Centre of Excellence and Sustainable Mining in Africa is holding its first Women in Mining Forum & Exhibition from 29th and 30th March 2023.
Mopani’s Women in Mining Business Forum & Exhibition is aimed at facilitating networking and strengthen business linkages for Women in the mining sector.
The Forum & Exhibition is being held under the theme: “Creating Deliberate Spaces for Information Sharing, Dialogue and Business Growth.” This event is the flagship of the Women in Mining Programme designed to promote gender diversity and encourage the growth of women-led businesses and SMEs in the mining industry.
The event is a 2-day face-to-face meeting featuring an array of topics related to doing business with the mines, the role of business member organisations in providing an organised voice for private sector development, access to finance, and opportunities for growth with technology, among others.
