The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has set up the Department of Gender Mainstreaming, Inclusivity and Wellness, a new unit created to ensure that women — long underrepresented in mining — are fairly included in all aspects of the sector, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
The announcement was made by Deputy Chief Government Mining Engineer Eng. T. Paswavaviri at a Gender Equality and ASM Capacity Building and Strategy Workshop in Harare, led by the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF), an organisation which assists governments in developing sustainable and inclusive mining policies.
This new department comes at a critical time for women in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) sector who continue facing challenges such as limited access to finance, unsafe working conditions, and exclusion from decision-making.
Women are a key part of Zimbabwe’s ASM sector but remain underrepresented in policy. The sector employs around 535,000 people, with women making up 10–15% (53,000–80,000) of the workforce, according to the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Organisation and Delve Database.
Across SADC, women account for 40–50% of ASM workers, underscoring the need for initiatives like the new Department of Gender Mainstreaming, Inclusivity and Wellness and the SADC White Paper on Gender and ASM to address barriers and improve inclusion.
Speaking at the workshop, Deputy CGME Eng. Paswavaviri said the department will ensure gender considerations are fully integrated into mining policy, programmes, and regulations as they gather valuable intelligence from the IGF workshop and the subsequent SADC Policy Framework.
“The department’s mandate is to directly address the unique challenges faced by women in mining — from access to finance and equipment to protection from discrimination and violence. Therefore, this workshop is not just theoretical; it is directly aligned with our operational priorities. The insights we will gain on the barriers women face in ASM, the link between formalisation and gender equality, and the critical issues of health and safety will provide essential, actionable intelligence for our new Department,” Eng. Paswavaviri said.
The workshop brought together women miners from across Southern Africa, including the Zimbabwe Artisanal and Small-Scale Women Miners Association (ZASWM) and the SADC Women in Mining.
Led by IGF, participants are developing a SADC White Paper on Gender and ASM, which will guide a regional policy framework and gender-inclusive reforms across member states.
“This initiative strengthens the valued partnership between Zimbabwe and the IGF. It demonstrates a shared commitment to ensuring our mineral wealth translates into improved well-being for all our people, especially women. The insights from the SADC regional framework — including the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan, the Revised Protocol on Gender and Development, and the SADC Mining Protocol — will guide our new Department in aligning national policies with regional gender equality goals,” Eng. Paswavaviri said as he commended IGF efforts.
IGF is a 68-member intergovernmental body that provides technical assistance and policy reviews free of charge, helping governments strengthen mining governance and close policy gaps.
This move marks a significant step toward institutionalising gender equality in Zimbabwe’s mining industry and could become a model for other SADC countries.
