‘MIIF’s WoMCom scholarship scheme becoming blueprint for Africa’
The President of Women in Mining Ghana, Dr Georgette Barnes Sakyi-Addo, has said the Women in Mining Communities (WomCom) Scholarship scheme, by the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), is emerging as a transformative model for bridging the gender gap in technical education while empowering young women from Ghana’s mining communities.
She stated that the initiative was fast becoming a blueprint for other African countries with rich mineral resources, as many were already studying the Ghanaian model to guide similar interventions in their own regions.
In an interview, Mrs Sakyi-Addo described the WoMCom programme as “one of Ghana’s most impactful gender equity initiatives within the mining sector,” stating that by supporting young women to enter highly technical fields, the scholarship not only transformed individual lives but also strengthened Ghana’s human capital in engineering and related industries.
Scholarship
The scholarship scheme, launched in June 2024, forms part of the MIIF’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, designed to support brilliant, financially challenged female students to pursue higher education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), particularly in mining-related disciplines.
Last September, 45 female students from the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) in Tarkwa were selected as beneficiaries of the WomCom Scholarship, following a rigorous and transparent selection process.
The process, which received over 100 applications, was overseen by a five-member Steering Committee made up of representatives from MIIF and UMaT.
In total, GH₵460,000 was disbursed to support 43 undergraduate and two postgraduate students.
Undergraduate recipients received GH₵10,000 each, while postgraduate students were awarded GH₵15,000 to cover tuition, accommodation and other academic expenses.
Gender disparities
The intervention comes at a time when women remain significantly underrepresented in Ghana’s mining and engineering sectors.
According to the 2024 Ghana Statistical Service Report, women account for only 24 per cent of professionals in STEM-related fields, with far lower representation in engineering and computer science.
Similarly, a 2023 study by the Ghana Chamber of Mines revealed that women constituted just 10 per cent of the total workforce in the large-scale mining sector.
Institutional support
Through the instrumentality of the Chief Executive Officer of MIIF, Justina Nelson, corporate Ghana, for the first time, contributed significantly to the success of this programme as part of their CSR initiatives.
They included: OmniBSIC Bank, Access Bank, Zijin Golden Ridge Ltd, Zenith Bank, First Atlantic Bank, First Bank, and Procus Ghana Limited, producers of Kivo products, highlighting the private sector’s commitment to advancing gender parity in education and industry.
MIIF’s WomCom Scholarship is not only shaping futures but also contributing to national development goals by investing in the next generation of female engineers, scientists, and mining professionals.
