The African Women in Mining Association (AWIMA) has elected Ghanaian national, Mrs. Georgette Barnes Sakyi-Addo, a mining services entrepreneur as next President of the Africa Women in Mining Association (AWIMA). Her election which takes immediate effect will run for two years. The election which took place at the General Assembly of the Africa Women in Mining Association (AWIMA) was under the auspices of the African Forum on Mining which took place in Accra Ghana over the week. The event which was organized by the African Union (AU) attracted members from across the 54 African countries.
AWIMA, a continent-wide organization which advocates for increased representation for women in the mining sector in Africa has been making inroads in getting more women across the continent to participate in roles that before now were regarded as men’s, and it has helped in no small way to equip more women professionally and also at executive levels.
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Mrs. Sakyi-Addo who incidentally is the President of Women in Mining (WIM) Ghana, will serve with an Executive Committee comprising representatives from North, East, Central, West and Southern Africa to execute AWIMA’s Pan-African mandate.
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Mrs. Sakyi-Addo who founded Georgette Barnes Ltd, a wholly Ghanaian-owned mining and exploration services company also established the WIM Ghana in 2015 as an advocacy body for all women working in the mining sector. She is also President of Accra Mining Network that brings together professionals in the mining sector to “meet, learn and earn.”
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WIM offers training programs for its members, mentorship for female students in secondary and tertiary institutions, enables networking and undertakes research projects. It is funded by voluntary contributions and run by volunteers. Speaking on her election, Mrs. Sakyi-Addo reiterated her commitment to achieving the WIM’s mandate, saying that she looks forward to working with sister WIM organizations throughout Africa to improve opportunities in mining for women.
“We will work together so we can travel far,” referencing the African proverb; “If you want to travel fast, go alone; but if you want to travel far, go together.”
In 2016, Mrs. Sakyi-Addo was selected among 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining by WIM UK. In 2018, she was awarded the Female Entrepreneur of the Year by Invest in Africa (IIA), a non-profit organization, which champions African-owned SMEs across the Continent.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry