Locations16 days of Activism 2024: Development Minerals Create Livelihood Opportunities for Women
November 30, 2024
Comfort Okello an Artisanal Small-Scale Miner in Gulu district, Uganda.
Uganda is undergoing a construction boom driven by infrastructural and other industrialization developments that have spurred new and increased demand for development minerals that are mined, processed, manufactured and applied domestically in sectors including manufacturing, building, construction and industry. These include sand, clay, limestone, gypsum, salt, stone aggregate, kaolin and gravel, dimension stones like marble and granite, and semi-precious stones like garnet and tourmaline that have a high level of economic linkage and utilization close to the location where the commodity is mined. The prevalence of development minerals in Uganda is high, and the industry generates an estimated US$350 million annually, directly supporting 390,000 Ugandans, 44 percent of whom are women.
Comfort and other women miners sharing a light moment at the quarry site.
In partnership with the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (OACPS) and the European Union (EU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is addressing challenges in the development minerals sector through various initiatives aimed at - strengthening regulatory frameworks by mainstreaming Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Enterprises (ASMEs) into mining, mineral laws and policies. Enhancing environmental and Social Safeguards through onsite training in sustainable mining practices and developing handbooks on conflict management, safety, health, and environmental restoration. Promoting technological innovation by creating digital platforms to improve market access, providing grants for formalization, value addition, and job creation for youth, and supporting overall technological development in the mining sector.
Comfort making aggregate stones which she sells to construction sites.
Comfort Okello, founder of Atim Ki Kuma Quarry Mine in Gulu district, is one of the beneficiaries of the UNDP, ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme, through this program she has been able to earn a living and diversify her income by opening a restaurant and building housing units for rent. This financial independence has significantly improved her over-all wellbeing.
“I am so grateful to UNDP for bringing this support to our community, we couldn’t even afford basic tools like hammers, and we had no capital at all. Thanks to the village savings group that UNDP helped us start, we have been able to borrow money and diversify our income. Now, I proudly own a restaurant, two rental properties and a quarry.”Comfort Okello
This attests to the potential of the development minerals’ sector to create jobs, spur innovation, and stimulate investment and infrastructure development. Yet if not properly managed, the sector activities such as mining can also lead to environmental degradation, displaced populations, inequality and increased conflict. The Government of Uganda has put in place policy and legal provisions, and a strategy targeting the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, to harness the opportunities that the sector presents.
Comfort’s renting units in Gulu district.
The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent the United Nations’ plan of action for social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and economic development. It is our shared belief that the mining industry has an unprecedented opportunity to mobilize human, physical, technological, and financial resources to advance the SDGs and to achieve Uganda’s development aspirations.
To maximize the socioeconomic development of Uganda's mining industry, UNDP has worked with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, to support the training of various artisanal small-scale mining enterprises (ASMEs) in 25 districts in various facets of business management and financial literacy.
Comfort at her restaurant writing down the available menu for the day.
By Joel Akena, Communications and Partnership Associate, UNDP Uganda