Gender should be included in the governance policy of the extractive industry to ensure fairness and to unlock the country’s full potential.
This calls for accelerated action by stakeholders to redress gender inequalities in the country’s extractive sector.
These were positions canvassed by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and Publish What You Pay (PWYP) during the 2025 International Women’s Day (IWD) in Abuja.
NEITI is the government agency responsible for transparency and accountability in the extractive sector, while PWYP is a civil society group campaigning for transparent and accountable governance of natural resources.
The Executive Secretary of NEITI Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji who spoke on the theme of this year’s IWD: “Invest in Women: Accelerate Action” noted that globally, the extractive industry was characterized by a significant gender imbalance against women.
“Women remain underrepresented in key top positions, as they often face barriers that hinder their full participation and advancement,” Orji said.
With women constituting a mere 12 percent of the entire labour force in the extractive sector, Orji said the disparity was limiting the potential of half of the world’s population and depriving the industry of diverse perspectives essential for sustainable growth and innovation.
He called on policy makers at all levels of governance to foster a wider space for inclusion, gender equity, and support within the society, particularly in the extractive sector and governance at large, especially at the leadership level where there exists a deep yawning gap.
Dr Orji noted that the current rate of progress in achieving full gender parity projected to take until 2158 years, approximately five generations from now, was unacceptable.
He called for immediate and concerted efforts to dismantle “systemic barriers and biases impeding women’s advancement.”
“The business case for investing in women has never been clearer.
To address these disparities, we must implement inclusive policies that promote gender diversity, empower women with the necessary skills and knowledge to ascend to leadership positions, ensure accountability for commitments to equity, and foster a supportive culture,” he said.
The underrepresentation of women in both the extractive sector and governance, he pointed out, was not merely a matter of social justice, but an issue impacting economic efficiency and sustainable development, with diverse leadership teams under women known to foster innovation, enhance decision-making, and improve organizational performance.
Women representation at the federal level in Nigeria, he observed, has seen some progress, with notable appointments of women to ministerial and other key positions, adding that the overall percentage of women in federal governance roles did not yet reflect a balance or equity, especially in elected positions.
The President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and General Counsel at the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Mrs. Ezinwa Okoroafor, who was the keynote speaker at this year’s NEITI IWD, theunderscored the importance of commemoration of Women’s Day as an opportunity to assess the progress made so far on gender equality.
Mrs. Okoroafor commended NEITI’s leadership for its initiative to celebrate women, adding that the theme, ‘Accelerate Action,’ calls for rapid progress in achieving gender equality and the need to confront the persistent challenges women face globally, while exploring ways to mitigate them.
The FIDA President also commended NEITI’s efforts to meet the global EITI requirement for gender reporting within the extractive sector, noting that the exercise would foster inclusivity and accountability.
She identified key challenges faced by women, including societal mindset, low self-expectations, and cultural barriers, adding women should be professional, competent, and result-driven, integrating technology into their work and uphold integrity.
The Representative of Women/Geoscientists on the NEITI Board, who is also the former President of the Association of Professional Women Engineers-APWEN, Engr. Mrs. Nkechi Isigwe, said this year’s Women’s Day celebration was an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in advancing gender inclusion in the extractive industry.
Isigwe said women have consistently demonstrated leadership and resilience in the extractive industry, adding that NEITI was well-positioned to push for further inclusion and change in the sector, while continuing to promote gender inclusion in the extractive sector and foster a better operating environment.
A Public Health Consultant, Dr. (Mrs.) Amede Osakwe, who spoke on “Public Health and Career Women in the 21st Century” identified women as an integral part of humanity —indispensable co-pilots of life who nurture and contribute to societal progress.
“Addressing women’s health issues and challenges is crucial for a thriving and sustainable world,” Osakwe said.
Highlighting some workplace challenges women face, such as gender-insensitivity, Osakwe called for more inclusive policies to bridge these gaps, adding that organizations with strong female representation consistently outperform their peers in productivity, innovation, and employee retention.
The Country Officer, Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), Ms. Tengii Ikoli in her goodwill message, applauded NEITI for creating a platform where women can connect and exchange ideas.
Ms. Ikoli who underlined the carry along women who have significantly contributed to Nigeria’s development as the energy transition progresses, called for action to advocate for women’s rights at all levels of government and society.
In a related event, the PWYP Nigeria’s National Coordinator, Dr. Erisa Danladi, in a statement noted that while this year’s theme drew attention to the urgency in taking measurable and swift steps towards gender equality, the rate of achieving the desired success remained very slow.
“The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day serves as a clarion call for everyone to challenge gender biases and inequalities that persist in all areas of our national life, including in critical industries like oil, gas, and mining, which significantly impact Nigeria’s economy,” Danladi stated.
She quoted statistics from NEITI 2023 Oil and Gas Audit and the 2023 Solid Minerals Audit Reports, which showed that despite the pivotal role these sectors play, women continue to face huge barriers to equal opportunities in employment, participation, and leadership.
She identified other challenges to include limited access to education and training for women in technical fields, gender-based violence and harassment, cultural norms inimical to women’s participation in leadership roles, and lack of awareness of the impacts of extractive projects on women’s lives.
She said women working in Nigeria’s extractive industries, especially in artisanal and small-scale mining, face significant health and safety risks, adding that limited access to proper sanitation, healthcare, and protective equipment place them at a disadvantage compared to their male counterparts.
In addition, she said company and regulatory efforts to emplace social and environmental safeguards remain weak across the extractive industry value chain, and impacting women and girls disproportionately, especially at the community level.
She cited the example of the recent directives on the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland without due consultation with Ogoni women who are still grappling with the disproportionate legacy impacts of oil and gas production, even though oil production had ceased in the area several years ago.
Noting the slow rate in achieving the desired success, Danladi said new oil, gas, and critical mineral projects were resuming elsewhere in the country, especially in Northern Nigeria, without gender-equitable opportunities for free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).
PWYP Nigeria said it would continue to work for the elimination of the challenges affecting women by campaigning for the implementation of comprehensive gender equality policies to address recruitment, promotion, compensation, work-life balance, and integration of gender considerations into all project planning and decision-making processes.
Other areas of focus of its campaign would be on the development of training and mentorship programmes to equip women with pre-requisite skills for technical and leadership roles; inclusion of women in various career opportunities in the extractive sector; continuous and meaningful consultation with women in the host communities in order to understand their needs and concerns regarding extractive projects.
PWYP said it would implement initiatives that promote women’s empowerment and economic participation; utilization of gender-disaggregated data for decision making and policy adjustment; use of transparent reportage based on data on women representations, and collaboration with other CSOs, state actors and corporations to address the unique challenges women face in this sector, to ensure their meaningful participation at all levels.
“As we celebrate IWD 2025, let’s accelerate action to dismantle the barriers that prevent women from reaching their full potential in Nigeria’s extractive industries,” the statement said.
