“I saw the future of the extractive industry — and I knew women could not afford to be left behind.” 

ENGR. (DR.) JANET FEBISOLA ADEYEMI, FNSE, FNMGS, FNIM is the Founder & National President, Women in Mining Nigeria (WIMIN) | Extractive Industry Expert | Engineer | Geologist | Governance & Sustainability Advocate | AI & Emerging Technology Specialist.

For more than two decades, Dr. Janet Adeyemi has distinguished herself as a strategic thinker, institution builder and early mover in Nigeria’s extractive sector, consistently identifying emerging opportunities and creating platforms that have set the agenda for others to follow.

Long before gender inclusion became a mainstream conversation in the extractive industries, she recognised that women could not afford to remain spectators in what was then largely an all-male domain. In 2006, she founded Women in Mining Nigeria (WIMIN) with a vision that went beyond creating a professional association. She sought to establish a platform through which women could gain visibility, knowledge, economic opportunity and a meaningful voice in decision-making across the mineral value chain.

Her forward-looking approach has continued to shape her interventions. She pioneered the Women in Mining Training Institute (WIMTI), developed a training manual and introduced a virtual training and lecture series to expand access to specialised mining knowledge.

Recognising the importance of building the next generation, she established Girls for Mining (G4M) Clubs across secondary schools, exposing young girls to mining, earth sciences, technology and career opportunities within the extractive sector. She subsequently extended this vision to tertiary institutions through the Soft Hat Girls for Mining (SHG4M) initiative.

Her innovation has also embraced technology and social protection. WIMIN activated a digital application available on the Google Play Store to facilitate real-time reporting of violence against women, reflecting her conviction that technology must serve productivity, accountability and human rights.

Her ability to identify emerging frontiers is also reflected in the Gold and Gemstones Conference & Exhibition (GGCE), now entering its fifth edition. The platform seeks to eliminate trade barriers, promote value addition, connect producers with markets and investors, and position Nigeria as a destination for gold, gemstones and jewellery.

Her philosophy is clear: the extractive sector is dynamic, and leadership must evolve with it. As the industry moves towards critical minerals, energy transition, ESG, responsible sourcing, beneficiation, technology and artificial intelligence, Dr. Adeyemi continues to expand her knowledge and reposition WIMIN around emerging opportunities.

Her global recognition includes the WIM100 recognition in 2017, celebrating her among the world’s inspirational women in mining and listed in African Elites of 2025.

In this interview with 120edgenews.com, the seasoned extractive industry professional reflects on her journey, the foresight behind her interventions, the initiatives opening new frontiers for women and young people, and her vision for a more inclusive, technology-driven and value-added African mineral economy.

Women in Mining Nigeria (WIMIN) is a non-governmental organisation established in 2006 and committed to promoting women’s inclusion at all levels of Nigeria’s mineral exploration and mining sector.

I have always believed that leadership is not simply about responding to what is happening today; it is about seeing what is coming tomorrow and preparing people before tomorrow arrives.

When we began the journey that culminated in WIMIN, Nigeria’s economic conversation was overwhelmingly dominated by oil and gas. We had become so accustomed to the petroleum economy that solid minerals were, in many respects, sitting in the shadows.

Yet I could see a sector with enormous potential that had not received sustained attention, investment, human-capital development and institutional focus required to unlock it.

Mining was also overwhelmingly a man’s world. I therefore asked myself: if Nigeria eventually wakes up to the enormous economic potential of its mineral resources, where will the women be?

Were we going to wait until the sector became attractive, capital began flowing into it and major investment opportunities emerged before preparing women? No.

That was why I believed women had to establish their presence early.

WIMIN was therefore not created merely as another women’s association. It was a strategic intervention. We were looking beyond the mining sector as it existed then and preparing for the mining sector that was coming.

I acknowledge the great women who have embraced this vision and also helped to create the impacts in the space.

Today, WIMIN has approximately 3,000 members across more than 29 states and operates across the mining value chain, from artisanal and small-scale mining to trading, financing and multidisciplinary professional services. We see women’s empowerment not simply as an objective, but as a transformative force for communities and the wider economy.

WIMIN strongly condemned the tragic and preventable deaths of 37 artisanal miners who lost their lives while in the custody of the security agency in Minna, Niger State.

We extended our deepest condolences to the bereaved families, particularly the mothers and women who lost their sons, brothers and breadwinners.

Criminalising poverty and using lethal containment strategies against artisanal miners is an affront to the right to life and international human rights standards. We cannot continue to use an iron-fist approach against young citizens driven into mining pits by desperation and extreme hardship.

Our recommendation to government is a shift from criminalisation to formalisation.

Government must also ensure that legitimate initiatives are not undermined by overzealous mining marshals who may not be adequately trained to manage such situations.

There must equally be stronger protection for vulnerable children, enforcement of child-labour laws, educational alternatives for teenagers and appropriate support and compensation for affected families.

I would focus strongly on gender-responsive policy and gender justice.

Gender mainstreaming in the solid minerals sector should not end with government. It must cut across mining companies, communities, cooperatives and the entire value chain.

For example, there should be a women-on-boards policy, with a minimum representation of women in managerial and board positions within mining companies. There should also be deliberate targets for women’s participation across different levels of the workforce.

Companies should also consider how much of their profits are reinvested in gender-related interventions, including scholarships, healthcare and community development.

We also need gender auditing and gender-responsive budgeting. We should be asking:

How many women are on mining company boards?

How many occupy senior management positions?

How many women-led enterprises have access to mining finance?

How are women represented in community decision-making?

What percentage of mining-related social investment reaches women and girls?

Are mining budgets gender-responsive?

Are environmental and social assessments capturing gender-differentiated impacts?

These are not simply women’s issues. They are questions of governance, economic efficiency and social sustainability.

Access to capital is equally important because women need the resources to translate their skills, ideas and aspirations into viable enterprises.

I appreciated the recognition, but for me, the deeper question is always: what did the work inspire?

Did a young girl see mining as a career?

Did a woman acquire a new skill?

Did an entrepreneur gain access to a market?

Did a policymaker begin to see gender differently?

Did a professional woman become confident enough to enter a room where women had previously been absent?

Those are the things that matter to me.

I studied engineering abroad and have worked across engineering, geology, governance, public administration, environmental issues and the extractive sector.

I was also following the global conversation around fossil-fuel pollution and its impact on climate change. The world was increasingly looking towards alternative and cleaner energy sources, with critical minerals emerging as a strategic pivot.

At the same time, I had understood the economic potential of Nigeria’s diverse mineral resources from my undergraduate years, including my experience with the Ife University Geological Consulting Unit led by Professor O. S. Adegoke. My personal appreciation for exotic jewellery also helped to sustain my interest in the sector.

So I knew this was a sector we had to focus on.

I wanted us to establish a platform for women before discrimination became entrenched, so that women could have a voice, be visible and make their own decisions.

Nobody should make decisions about your future without you.

My diverse educational and professional background has also strengthened my understanding of the sector and its evolving opportunities.

Over the years, WIMIN has implemented a range of programmes aimed at increasing women’s participation, retention and advancement in the mining industry.

The Girls for Mining (G4M) programme introduces young female students to mining and encourages them to consider mining-related courses and careers. Through our secondary-school engagements and debates, we have seen girls become interested in exploring opportunities in the sector.

The Soft Hat Girls for Mining (SHG4M) initiative extends this pipeline into tertiary institutions and helps ease the transition of young graduates into the sector.

The Women in Mining Training Institute (WIMTI) is the training arm of WIMIN, providing knowledge and education on important and emerging issues in mining.

Our Gold and Gemstones Conference & Exhibition (GGCE) brings economic opportunities in gold, gemstones and jewellery to the attention of investors, manufacturers and other value-chain actors.

All our initiatives are driven by identified and anticipated needs.

The virtual training platform came from the need to make knowledge more accessible. WIMTI addressed professional capacity. The training manual was developed to institutionalise and replicate knowledge. G4M was created to build the next generation, while SHG4M continues that pipeline into tertiary education, leadership and industry exposure.

The digital reporting application was developed to use technology in addressing violence against women, while GGCE seeks to move women and local producers beyond raw materials into markets and value addition.

The common thread is simple:

Identify the gap. Anticipate the future. Build the platform. Develop the people. Create the ecosystem.

The Conference is coming up in November in Lagos and this year marks the fifth edition. It was initiated by WIMIN and has attracted continental engagement through the African Union and its relevant agency, AMDC.

GGCE is designed to promote trade and remove barriers that women face in the gold, gemstone and jewellery business. Too often, when third parties intervene between producers and buyers, women do not receive the true value of their products.

At GGCE, women have the opportunity to exhibit their jewellery and gemstones and connect directly with buyers, investors and other value-chain actors.

Lagos is a strategic location because of its position as Nigeria’s commercial and fashion hub, including its established fashion and jewellery ecosystem.

The conference has increasingly attracted international participation, including participants from Dubai, London, Germany and other African countries, with the African Union supporting participation from across the continent.

Our ambition is to continue growing GGCE into a platform that promotes value addition, removes trade barriers, expands market access and positions Nigeria as a credible gold and gemstone destination.

The barriers are not peculiar to women in mining. They include cultural, educational, financial and technological barriers, among others.

Mining is very dynamic and constantly changing, so continuous capacity building is essential.

I recently went back to study AI because I believe that without understanding emerging technologies, professionals can quickly become irrelevant.

Finance is another major challenge. For women entering jewellery making, for example, equipment and technology can be capital-intensive. That is why we encourage partnerships and collaborations.

Women are highly creative and resourceful. Some obtain support from family and friends, while others attract investors who believe in their ideas.

The important thing is to combine capacity, access to finance, technology, partnerships and markets if women are to compete effectively in the evolving mineral economy.

Collaboration is key.

Government develops and implements policies, so NGOs and civil society organisations must work with government if those policies are to achieve meaningful results.

No organisation can do everything. If you have a particular area of expertise, you should concentrate on it while recognising that others bring different competencies.

For example, one organisation may focus on beneficiation, while another focuses on processing. When these efforts are connected, the impact becomes much greater.

WIMIN therefore collaborates locally, nationally and internationally, particularly at the continental level. We also work within the broader African women-in-mining network, where we share experiences, ideas and opportunities with women across other African countries.

Collaboration allows individual strengths to become collective impact.

Let me start with the rewards.

I previously served in the House of Representatives, where I initiated more than 15 bills, some of which were passed by the National Assembly. However, my most visible professional impact today is perhaps my work in the mining sector.

I am known internationally within the mining community because of my passion for the sector, my advocacy and my contributions.

Mining has also expanded my intellectual capacity. I am a voracious reader because the sector is constantly changing. When I graduated, there was nothing like today’s green economy or AI conversations. Today, I have studied AI, generative AI and other emerging areas.

This is the age of knowledge, and you cannot afford to stop learning.

Another major reward has been networking. I have met people from different backgrounds and countries, and I have learned that networking is wealth.

I value these experiences above financial rewards.

Financially, the journey has actually cost me considerably because I invested much of my personal income in advancing the work and advocacy of Women in Mining for many years. But when you believe deeply in a vision, you remain committed despite the challenges.

I have always believed that it is not all about money. You cannot take money with you when you leave this world, but you can leave behind a legacy of impact.

I have also been fortunate to have the support of my husband and children, which gave me the freedom and encouragement to devote my time and energy to this work.

The sector has opened up considerably.

When people hear mining, they often imagine carrying a hammer, wearing boots and going into a mine. Technology has changed that completely.

Today, you can contribute to mining without necessarily being physically present at a mine site. Robotics, automation and digital technologies are transforming the way mining is conducted.

The industry now offers opportunities in procurement, exploration, processing, technology, environmental management, finance, trading, marketing and many other areas.

Mining is a world of its own, and women should not be left out.

My advice is simple: find your space and build your competence.

I would also emphasise resilience.

I have never believed in saying, “I can’t do it.” I believe that possibilities are much greater than the limitations we sometimes place on ourselves.

So, to young women: be resilient, keep learning, build your networks and never allow anyone to define your limits for you.

We have a platform through which women can join WIMIN. They can visit wimng.org for information on membership or contact us directly through the association’s official channels.