Despite the fact that Africa has abundant natural resources and a thriving mining industry, gender inequities continue. Women are under-represented in crucial roles in the business due to factors such as inadequate access to education, uneven opportunity, and cultural biases.
The few successful African women who have come to prominence in mining, on the other hand, are inspiring models of what is achievable when you have determination, tenacity, and expertise.
Men have long dominated the mining industry, and this pattern is especially noticeable in Africa. Despite the continent’s immense mineral wealth, only a few prominent African women have pushed through gender obstacles to gain distinction in the business.
Billionaire.Africa has compiled seven African women who created, co-founded, or invested in mining ventures on the continent and amassed enormous riches.
1. Daphne Mashile-Nkosi
Daphne Mashile-Nkosi, a South African manganese mogul, is a co-founder and executive chairman of Kalagadi Manganèse, a firm that explores and produces manganese in South Africa’s Kalahari Basin, Northern Cape. Kalagadi has new order mining rights on three farms that have roughly 960 million tonnes of manganese ore reserves. Mashile-Nkosi, a mining veteran, was a co-founder of Eyesizwe Coal, which amalgamated with Kumba Resources’ non-iron ore holdings to establish Exxaro.
2. Bridgette Radebe
Bridgette Radebe, the elder sister of South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe, began as a contract miner in the 1980s, managing shafts and procuring for larger mining houses. She later founded Mmakau mining, which has assets in platinum, gold, uranium, coal, chrome, exploration, and mining interests. She formerly served as the president of the South African Mining Development Association.
3. Anna Mokgokong
Seriti Resources, one of South Africa’s largest coal mining firms, is chaired by Anna Mokgokong.Seriti owns and runs six large-scale opencast and underground thermal coal mines that primarily serve Eskom power facilities. Mokgokong is a co-founder and executive chairman of Community Investment assets (Pty) Ltd. (CIH), a 100-percent Black-owned, women-led firm with assets in mining, energy, healthcare, ICT, Infrastructure, and logistics sectors. CIH is one of Seriti Resources’ main stockholders.
4. Nadia Abdul Aziz
Asante Gold’s director is Nadia Abdul Aziz, a finance specialist. Thanks to her many years of experience in mining finance positions, she was instrumental in Asante Gold’s recent acquisition of Chirano Gold Mine, an open-pit and underground mining operation in southern Ghana, immediately south of the company’s Bibiani Gold Mine. Aziz’s 5.8 percent ownership in the gold prospecting company is reportedly worth $24.5 million, making her one of Ghana’s wealthiest executives and investors.
5. Emotan Josephine Aburime-Shine
Piramen Ventures Limited was founded by Emotan Josephine Aburime-Shine, a Nigerian mining entrepreneur. This enterprise, situated in Abuja, mines industrial minerals as well as precious and semi-precious gemstones. It processes its own mined stones as well as gems purchased from local traders. Its gem processing department adds value to gemstones by cutting, polishing, carving, and tumbling them.
Piramen Ventures Limited is also heavily investing in artisanal and small-scale miners in Nigeria, instructing them on material identification in their communities as well as safer and more productive mining procedures. Over the last few years, Emotan has successfully taught lapidarists in gemstone beneficiation.
6. Vanessa Gounden
Vanessa Gounden, 62, is the co-founder of South African investment holding company HolGoun Investment Holdings. HolGoun Investment Holdings’ main investments are in coal and uranium. Through its companies, HolGoun Uranium & Power, HolGoun possesses prospecting rights to over 91,000 hectares in the Springbok Flats in the Limpopo Province’s Settlers region. HolGoun Energy possesses thermal coal (Canyon Springs), uranium, and coking coal mining rights. In the Kwa-Zulu Natal province, HolGoun owns and operates Leeuw Mining (Anthracite).
7. Lindiwe Nakedi
Lindiwe Nakedi runs and operates Gubhani Exploration, a South African surface diamond drilling company owned entirely by Black women.