admin | June 19, 2025
News Brief
In Geita, Tanzania, Neema Mushi has worked in artisanal gold mining for eight years. Despite women making up about a third of miners, Mrs. Mushi faces barriers to land ownership and equipment. She says, “I want to own a mine. But women are rarely considered when it comes to land.” After joining a women’s mining cooperative, she gained access to land and resources. Mining activist Alpha Ntayomba explains, “Women are the backbone of this sector. They deserve rights, recognition, and protection.” Mrs. Mushi hopes for a future where women lead the industry.
In the gold-rich region of Geita, Tanzania, Neema Mushi swings her pickaxe under the blazing sun. For eight years, she has worked in the male-dominated artisanal mining sector—digging, crushing, and sifting for gold. But like many women in the industry, her efforts are often met with barriers.
Mrs. Mushi says, “I want to own a mine. But women are rarely considered when it comes to land.”
Artisanal and small-scale mining is a major source of income in Tanzania, employing up to two million people—about a third of whom are women. Despite their numbers, women miners like Mrs. Mushi face discrimination in land ownership, financing, and access to better equipment.
Mrs. Mushi recalls trying to register a mining plot, only to be turned away by a local clerk who told her she needed her husband’s permission. She says, “They told me to find a man.” As a single mother of three, she had no such option.
For years, she worked informally on land owned by others, collecting leftover rocks and selling them at low prices to middlemen. She says,“If you don’t own land, you’re at their mercy.”
Things began to change when she joined Umoja wa Wanawake Wachimbaji, a women’s mining cooperative. With support from the Tanzania Women Miners Association (TAWOMA), the group secured a small plot of land and access to equipment. For the first time, Mrs. Mushi could afford her children’s school fees.
But challenges persist. Many women miners are exposed to mercury during gold processing, often without protective equipment.
Alpha Ntayomba, a mining activist and Executive Director of the Population Development Initiative, says, “Most women don’t know how dangerous mercury is. They mix it with their bare hands.”
Mr. Ntayomba’s organization provides training to women miners and advocates for safer working conditions, fairer laws, and equal access to land. He says, “Women are the backbone of this sector. They deserve rights, recognition, and protection.”
As Mrs. Mushi watches her fellow miners work their shared land, she feels hopeful. She says, “Before, we were just surviving. Now, we are building something of our own.”
She dreams of a future where her daughters grow up seeing women as leaders—not just labourers—in Tanzania’s mining industry.
This story is based on an article written by Kizito Makoye for Interpress News Service, titled “Tanzania’s Women Miners Digging for Equality in a Male-Dominated Industry” To read the full story, go to: https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/04/tanzanias-women-miners-digging-equality-male-dominated-industry/
Photo: Female miners struggle for recognition, battling land ownership restrictions, lack of financing, and discrimination in a sector where men hold the power. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS