FOREWORD:

The Pioneer Women in Extractives Awards (PWEA) – Africa Chapter are conceived to provide a global platform to showcase and appreciate the remarkable female talent in Africa’s extractives industry. These awards celebrate women who are known for their “firsts” in exploring new areas, have developed new ways of doing business in the industry and have made outstanding contributions to empowering and paving the way for other women to participate in the industry. The awards are set to provide the foundation for a platform for peer to peer mentorship for women within the Industry throughout Africa and globally. The COVID 19 pandemic has changed the manner in which we will forever do business globally. Africa hosts a majority of the world’s mineral resources. Through establishing a peer to peer mentorship platform the organizers of the awards aim to encourage and inspire partners and participants to embrace change as a means to advance active trade in their business. The landmark African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, which was operationalized in 2020, has the potential to create a continental free-trade zone with a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of USD$3.4 trillion, according to the African Union (AU). We aim to motivate more women across the continent to tap into these opportunities and deliver “The Africa We Want” vs “The Africa we have”.

In order to enhance the meaningful participation of women along the Extractives value chain, PWEA – 2021 Africa Chapter was conceptualized at the Association of Women in Extractives in Kenya and is being supported by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining. This event is a Pan African platform created to share stories of triumph for women from across the continent and shared with the world. This year the event is hosted in Kenya and will rotate through the continent on a biannual basis. The concept is birthed on the foundation that using fundamental narrative therapy approaches a new story of success for women in the Extractives in Africa can be developed.

Women who will be recognized through the honorary awards will have demonstrated their commitment to creating the path for other women to follow in their notable past achievements. One of the main outcomes of this event is to showcase challenges that are unique to women in this industry and trigger a solution-focused approach to addressing gender inclusion within the continent.

Recognition Process:

Women from across Africa will be nominated virtually. Once the nominees are received they will then be subjected to a transparent voting process. Owing to the diverse nature of the various subsectors - mining, oil and gas - the categories are to be drawn to reflect these diverse components. The following are the proposed categories.

• Pioneer Woman in Africa Extractives Corporate
• Pioneer Woman in Africa Extractives Mentor
• Pioneer Woman in Africa Extractives Innovation
• Pioneer Woman in Africa Inclusion and Human Rights Defender
• Pioneer Woman in Africa Entrepreneur of the Year in Extractives
• Pioneer Woman in Africa Overall most notable contribution to the Oil and Gas
• Pioneer Woman in Africa Overall most notable contribution to the Gemstone
• Pioneer Woman in Africa Overall most notable contribution to the Industrial Mineral
• Pioneer Woman in Africa Overall most notable contribution to the Energy

Selection Criteria/Process:

All nominations will be treated in confidence and only vetted by the independent judging panel. For ease of nomination each candidate’s profile will include;

• The track record of the candidate within her current and previous organization/enterprise.
• Key achievements to
• High-quality photo of
• A 50-word biography for use in the awards programme should the candidate be

Terms & conditions of the nominations for both nominee and nominator will be highlighted on the AWEIK and Tenistore Ent. website alongside all strategic partners websites. Tenistore Ent will be the implementers of the event.

Key dates for the Award ceremony:

• 2nd August 2021, Nominations are
• 30th November 2021, Nominations are
• 3rd December 2021, Award Finalists are
• 10th December 2021, Winners announced at the virtual Awards Ceremony

Awards Ceremony:

The awards will be presented at a virtual and limited sitting event on the 10th of December in Nairobi from 5:00 pm. The theme will be ‘ASANTE: - An Appreciation for Africa’s Pioneer Women within the Extractives Industry’. The awards ceremony will feature an exclusive showcase of a documentary recorded courtesy of the Association of Women in Extractives in Kenya who is one of our strategic partners. This documentary is a compilation of success stories from the ground within Kenya that aims to change the negative narrative within the Extractives sector. It aims to show how women are benefiting and participating from the sector whilst marketing the countries robust Extractives Industry.

Target Audience:

• Development
• Industry
• Finance
• International
• Civil
• Stakeholder companies.
• Government.

THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND MINING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN IN EXTRACTIVES IN KENYA

 

Presents

 

GEMS AFRICA 2021 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

 

12 July 2021

8am-6pm EAT.

 

	THEME: RESPONSIBLE SOURCING OF GEMSTONES AND GOLD FROM MINES TO MARKET

 

In Africa, artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is a largely informal economic sector that includes workers who use basic tools to extract from the earth including gemstones and gold. ASM is an incredibly important driver of development in communities in Africa, where there are often few other opportunities available for generating income particularly in remote areas. ASM contributes positively to many of the Sustainable Development Goals, and with inclusive, comprehensive responsible sourcing, the global community can amply ASM’s positive impacts and mitigate negative ones.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Mining in collaboration with the Association of Women in Extractives in Kenya (AWEIK) seeks to bring together global stakeholders in the gemstone industry including governments, industry and artisanal miners themselves in a virtual conference that champions responsible sourcing of the gemstone and gold industries to underpin broad-based sustainable growth and socio-economic transformation.

The Gems Africa 2021 Virtual Conference will help reveal ASM’s contributions to development in Africa and propel meaningful dialogue that scales up the sector through encouraging partnerships and technological innovations. The conference will also highlight the role that women can play to foster peace where colored stones and gold are mined and harness support for the women who, against all odds, are mining in hardship areas.

Register for the conference at: kgjf.co.ke

With many countries gradually opening up their economies, Oil and Gas sectors across the globe are faced with uncertainty. Even with lacklustre growth expected in the upstream sub- sector,   Kenya has always had robust midstream and downstream sub-sectors increasingly with the potential to augment this growth as supply chains are restored. Regulatory and infrastructural developments are touted to provide significant opportunities for employment, revenue and private sector development.

 

Join us in our FireSideChat#3

 

Title: “Oil and Gas Sector in Kenya: Leveraging on Downstream Opportunities”

Date: Friday 31st July, 2020

Time: 10.30am-12.00pm

Register with zoom -  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqfu-urDwjGdHXwRWP01qFAfUGvbgZ

The ramifications of the global COVID 19 crisis are likely to be with us for a long time with many predicting an erosion of many of the gains that Africa has achieved in economic growth in the last decade. While the full extent and scale of the impact on Africa’s mining sector is yet to be determined, factors such as a prolonged global slowdown, travel restrictions and lockdowns in various resource-rich countries is expected to see decreased production, decline in demand as well as well disruptions in global value chains of minerals.

 

The continent’s need for new approaches to drive economic growth demands a reengagement of Africa’s mining industry in regional trade, technology advances, innovation and partnerships, among others.

 

The AWEIK Fireside Chat #2 intends to discuss a wide array of perspectives and diverse approaches that will catalyze change and generate new opportunities for sustainable mining on the African continent. Our panelists will focus on changes in the following focus areas:

 

• Exploration vis a vis mining dynamics
• Promoting linkages with other pillars of the economy
• Incorporating innovation and technology
• Establishing government relations and community engagement
• Driving local content
• Empowering women, youth and other gender dynamics
• Advancing partnerships/collaborations

 

Panelists

Zenzi Awases is a geologist with 15 years’ experience in exploring and mining diamonds on the world’s largest paleo – placer diamond deposit along the south-western coast of Namibia. In 2017, she formed part of the founding members of the Women in Mining Association of Namibia (WiMAN) and serves on the executive committee as the President. In 2018, she was elected as the Vice-President of the Southern African Chapter for the Association of Women in Mining in Africa. Since 2019, she has been serving on the executive committee of Association of Women in Mining in Africa as the President of the Southern African Chapter. Zenzi is a mother of 2 young children and lives in Windhoek, Namibia.

 

Melba K. Wasunna (PhD)

Manager – External Affairs, Base Titanium

Melba is the External Affairs Manager at Base Titanium Limited, Kenya’s largest mining company.

Previously, Melba was the Founding Director of the Strathmore Extractives Industry Centre (SEIC) based at Strathmore University. Under her leadership, SEIC developed an innovative stakeholder engagement platform “Extractives Baraza” which coordinated over 100 forums and workshops providing unprecedented engagement bringing together diverse stakeholders such as the Government of Kenya, NGOs, Academia and multinational companies to discuss a variety of topics on mutual benefits, shared value, transparency, gender impacts, among others. She has also authored several publications including reports, journal articles and books.

Melba is the recipient of the “Upstream Oil and Gas Awards, Woman of the Year Kenya (2019)”. She currently serves as the Chairperson for the Association of Women in Energy and Extractives in Kenya (AWEIK), a platform that promotes and assists the participation of women in the oil, gas and mining value-chain in Kenya. She is also the Vice Chairperson of the Energy and Extractives Sector Board at the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA).

Prior to joining Strathmore, Melba worked as a consultant on business and human rights at Katiba Institute, Kenya and as a corporate lawyer at Davis Polk & Wardell in New York.

Martin Ayisi

Deputy Executive Chief Officer, Minerals Commission of Ghana

 

A mining and petroleum lawyer with over 17 years’ experience, knowledge and tremendous interests in international environmental law, mining, energy (policy and regulation), oil and gas laws and policies. Martin has a specialized and exceptional skills in legal interpretation and the drafting of mining laws and regulations as well as a wide-range of commercial agreements and contracts used in the mining (including investment/mineral/development agreements that are widely used for large scale mining projects in Africa) and oil and gas industry globally and in particular, a sound knowledge and understanding of mining and oil and gas laws, policies and governance issues in West and East Africa. Between 2014 and 2018, Martin provided advice to the Ministry of Mining of Kenya on extractive industry governance, sector reforms particularly legal and regulatory strengthening through review of its mining laws and drafting of a wide-range of mining regulations required to implement the new mining framework. Martin also served as consultant on mining and oil and gas to a number of international organisations and consulting firms such as UNECA, IISD, Adam Smith International, Oxford Policy Management, International Development Law Organisation.

Muthoni Koinange
Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Bechtel

Muthoni is the founder and Managing Consultant at SP Advisory, a consultancy focused on Social Performance, Public Affairs and Strategic Communications with an emphasis on Oil & Gas (upstream and midstream), Renewable Energy, Mining and Infrastructure. Prior to that, Muthoni had 12 years of experience in both the private and public sectors, working as the Corporate Affairs Officer at Africa Oil Kenya B.V., and prior to that as a Trade Development Manager at the British High Commission.

These positions exposed her to a variety of sectors across the Kenyan economy, and gave her specialized training and experience in organizational development, social performance, public affairs and strategic communications. Muthoni has throughout her life and career been a passionate advocate for stakeholder engagement at the community and county levels as Kenya pursues rapid economic development. Muthoni is a member of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), the Kenya Chamber of Mines (KCM), Oil Council (UK), Collaboration for Development (C4D) hosted by World Bank and National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) as an Expert (ongoing registration).

Muza Gondwe (PhD)

Partnership Facilitator

Dr Muza Gondwe is a partnership facilitator specialising in mining and sustainability.  Muza has several years experience in designing, delivering and evaluating resource governance capacity building programs for emerging resource economies and has worked in partnership with a number of international and local organisations to deliver programs in Africa, Asia and Latin America. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion and volunteers for International Women in Mining as Senior Project Advisor and Association of Women in Mining in Africa as the AWIMA Jewellery Project Manager.

Jeff Geipel

Mining Shared Value Founder And Managing Director, Engineers Without Borders Canada

Jeff Geipel is the founder and managing director for the Mining Shared Value initiative at Engineers Without Borders Canada. This initiative works to improve the development impacts of mineral extraction in host countries through increasing local procurement by the global mining industry. Through this work Jeff is also the Community Manager for the World Bank’s Extractives-led Local Economic Diversification Community of Practice (ELLED CoP). Before Engineers Without Borders Jeff was the founder and first executive director of Fair Trade Vancouver, which became a model for municipal-based fair trade
organizations across Canada. Originally from Vancouver, Jeff holds a master’s degree in international development from the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom. Jeff’s work and articles have been featured by the Guardian, Devex, the Globe and Mail, National Post, Next Billion, Mining Weekly and Hill Times Magazine. Jeff currently resides in London.

Panelist Biographies

Amb. Peter Kirimi Kaberia is currently the Principal Secretary, State Department for Mining,  Ministry of Petroleum and Mining. As a career diplomat, he has previously served as Kenya’s Ambassador to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela. He has served in the Kenyan Embassies in Madrid and France as a Counsellor and Head of Chancery and also served in the Kenya embassy in Washington DC.

Mrs. Georgette Sakyi-Addo is founder of the Georgette Barnes Ltd, a wholly Ghanaian-owned mining and exploration services company. In 2015 she established the Women In Mining Ghana as an advocacy body for all women working in the mining sector. She is also President of Accra Mining Network. 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. Georgette is currently the President of the Africa Women in Mining Association (AWIMA).

Miriam Wairimu Kamau is founder and director of Mimo Gem Traders. She is a respected woman miner and gem dealer in the region and internationally. She is currently a Board member of the Association of Women in Extractives in Kenya (AWEIK) and has previously served in the Board of the Kenya Chamber of Mines (KCM) as well as been an ambassador of the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA). She is also a member of the Women’s Jewelry Association.

Dr. Cedric Simonet is a business Manager in the natural resources sector, a Geologist and a Gemologist, with over 20 years experience in a wide range of commodities in positions covering exploration, mine management, business management, environment. Based in Kenya, he is currently a director of Akili Minerals Services (mineral exploration services provider), of Pinsapo Kenya Ltd (gold mine development), and an international consultant in mineral exploration and mine development (current projects in Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Zambia and Nigeria).

He has extensive experience in working with artisan miners in Kenya and Tanzania, in a commercial context, and practical experience in operating small scale gemstone and gold prospecting and mining operations. With a PhD in Geology of ruby and sapphire deposits, and over 20 years’ experience in running and advising colored gemstone operations, he is one of very few experts in the geology and exploitation of colored gemstones deposits.

Evan Caplan is widely considered to be one of the finest and knowledgeable colored stone professionals of our time. He has been trained at the Gemological Institute of America, the worlds leading school of Gemology and quickly achieved its highest degree of Graduate Gemologist. Mr. Caplan was one of the first people to bring the unique Paraiba tourmaline to America.  He, along with several others, was responsible for the cutting and eventual sale of the world’s largest Padparadscha sapphire. Mr. Caplan has become a leading authority on Alexandrite and often lectures on this truly remarkable gem.

Pravin Harjivan Maru is the founder and director of Maru Craft Ltd. Having been in operation for more than 30 years, he specializes in local and international jewelry designing and handcraft of Gold, Silver, precious and semi-precious stones.

Stella Opakas is currently the Director Mineral Resources, Turkana County and has previously worked in various capacities in Kenol Kobil, National Oil Corporation of Kenya and Kenya Petroleum Refineries. She is a graduate of Chemical Engineering from the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, Moscow, Russia

Unveiling mining opportunities within the ‘Big Four’ agenda: Kenya Navigating The Pace!