By Stella Odueme
Women in Mining Africa (WiM-Africa) has announced that it will convene an official side event at the 12th Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD-12) under the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), focused on advancing dialogue around the Africa Responsible Minerals & Gender Index (ARMGI).
Held under the theme: ‘Advancing Gender-Responsive Mineral Governance and Measurable Host Community Outcomes through ARMGI,” the session will bring together representatives from African institutions, private sector leaders, development partners, environmental actors and civil society to explore practical pathways for translating mineral governance commitments into implementation results.
The event will spotlight ARMGI as an emerging accountability framework aimed at strengthening gender-responsive mineral governance, equitable benefit-sharing, and measurable outcomes for women and host communities across Africa.
According to WiM-Africa, on Saturday in a statement, ARMGI is being positioned as a collaborative framework to support accountability, track outcomes, and strengthen alignment between Africa’s extractive sector, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Agenda 2063, and the African Mining Vision.
The side event contributes to the broader ARFSD-12 theme: “Turning the Tide: Transformative and Coordinated Actions for the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.”
Panel contributions are expected from institutions including the African Union Commission, private sector operators, sustainability partners and mining stakeholders, with discussions focusing on gender-responsive benefit-sharing; women’s inclusion in mineral value chains;; community-centered accountability; responsible minerals and the energy transition; and practical pathways for piloting ARMGI.
According to Dr. Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji, Executive Director of Women in Mining Africa; ‘Africa’s mineral wealth must be measured not only by production and revenues, but by outcomes for women and communities. ARMGI seeks to help move us from commitments to measurable impact.”
WiM-Africa noted that the session also provides a platform to deepen stakeholder engagement on the development of ARMGI as a continental collaborative initiative.
