Women group to train 2,000 artisinal miners

The Association of Women in Mining has resolved to train over 2, 000 women engaged in the extractive industry in the state.

The President of the Association, Sylvia Ogbuinya disclosed this in an interview on Friday in Abakaliki.

She said the group resolved that in year 2022 it would expose women in Artisanal and Small-Scale mining in the state to the provisions of the Mining Act to avoid risks and loss of live.

Ogbuinya said the Mining Act defines offences and activities in the industry and the need for the development of mineral resources.

"This training will help women in the extractive, artisanal and small-scale mining industries to be better informed, because they are mostly affected.

"The enlightenment will help them take precautionary measures and avoid dangers associated with the practice.

"We have taskforce on demining rights in the state, they will be visiting the sites to ensure the laws are observed," she said.

Ogbuinya said some miners are in the habit of not observing mining rules and urged the women to adhere to the laws guiding mining activities to avoid endangering their lives.

She said that mining was a capital intensive venture, and so, her group established 19 cooperatives societies to assist its members raise funds to engage in their businesses.