At opening of Y'de int’l confab: Minister Fuh Calistus challenges women to embrace opportunities in mining sector.

It was organised by the association of Cameroonian women in mining best known by its French language acronym AFEMIC. 

The one-day conference was under the theme: “Industrial mining development in Cameroon: the place of the woman”.

Organised under the patronage of the Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, the confab brought together international participants from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal and other nations.

National participants were drawn from the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family and other stakeholders directly and indirectly linked to the mining chain.

Minister urges women to embrace opportunities in sector

Prof Fuh Calistus in his opening address, said noticeable progress has been made in promoting equality in the mining sector at the level of the ministry. 

“We have already made progress at the level of our ministry. The Director of Geology, the heads of geological and mining information centres, the chiefs of services of the mining crafts, and many other chiefs of services are women. In general, the permanent secretaries of the transparency committee are managed by women,” he stated.

Minister Fuh Calistus, however, acknowledged that despite the progress made, more efforts are still required to further pluralize the sector to ensure larger and more impactful involvement of women in the field.

He challenged Cameroonian women to embrace existing opportunities in the sector to better cement their spot as part of the key players in the sector.

He said the mining sector in Cameroon is quickly taking a centre stage in the country’s economy.

This, he said, is highlighted through the recent launch of multiple mining projects that provide a level playing ground for the full involvement of both women and men.

“The Cameroon mining sector is so well structured so that everybody has a stake. Be it artisanal mining, census sector, semi-mechanized mining, research permits, smaller scale research permits, industrial scale, and then the exploitation permit. On all these levels, every Cameroonian and most especially women can find their level,” Prof Fuh Calistus stated.

The minister cited opportunities in the recently launched Minim-Martap Bauxite Industrial mining project in the Adamawa Region and the Sinosteel project in the South Region as fertile zones that can be exploited by women to positively stamp their authority in the sector.

“I reiterate that I want women to see the vision that is being formed in all sectors of the mining world. Mining does not end at the mining sites. There is transformation. Engineers, economists, metallurgists are needed,” the minister emphasized.

Women vow to change narrative 

Speaking in the course of the various panel discussions, the participants took the firm commitment to heed the minister’s call by further speeding up their already fruitful inroads into the mining sector. 

AFEMIC President, Balbine Pascaline Omgba, said the conference was organised to fast-track the efforts to facilitate rapid and smooth progress.

“Sometimes the population is not aware of the opportunities that exist in the mining sector. We want women to be aware that they are opportunities in the mining chain,” Balbine Omgba stated.

She urged government and other stakeholders to double their efforts in further leveling the ground to give way for the smooth integration of women.

Enriching Yaounde confab

The confab was punctuated by two panel discussions. The first focused on the theme: “Public policy and inclusion: What reforms to promote equality in Cameroon’s mining sector?”. 

It was moderated by Cameroonian educationist and university professor, Prof Thérèse Dieudonné Olomo Belinga. 

Panelists included the Sub Director of Gender Promotion at the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Vivian Jioy Kendemeh who urged authorities to provide more level ground to facilitate women’s integration.

The second panel discussion, moderated by the President of Women in Mining Senegal, Aïda Diop Ndiaye, was on the theme: “Women, mining industrialization, innovation, sustainability: challenges, opportunities for women entrepreneurs, women-led solutions for women for responsible mining”. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3520 of Friday August 01, 2025