WECONA to Address Women’s Economic Inclusion in Mining, Calls Industry Leaderships
Elegbede Abiodun
The Women Economic Assembly (WECONA) and the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA) will bring together government ministers, mining executives, and financiers for a landmark discussion on advancing women’s participation in South Africa’s mining economy.
The inaugural WECONA Western Cape Mining Indaba side event, “She Mines the Future: From Pit to Port,” takes place on 10 February 2026 alongside the Africa Mining Indaba, targeting systemic barriers that keep women entrepreneurs on the margins of one of the continent’s most lucrative sectors.
Established in 2021,WECONA operates as a multi-stakeholder platform uniting government, business, and civil society to expand women-owned enterprises’ access to major supply chains.
Despite mining’s economic scale, women entrepreneurs face persistent exclusion from procurement pipelines and financing. The February gathering aims to move beyond discussion toward concrete action, connecting women-led businesses with procurement decision-makers and capital providers across the mining value chain.
Minister of Small Business Development Stella Tembisa Ndabeni and Deputy Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Phumzile Sinclatia Mgcina will participate in a high-level dialogue focused on creating actionable pathways for women’s ownership and participation from exploration through logistics.
The session will examine financial, structural, and regulatory obstacles limiting women’s involvement while identifying immediate opportunities in exploration, extraction, processing, beneficiation, and transport.
WECONA’s work supports objectives outlined in the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, which recognizes economic participation as essential to reducing women’s vulnerability to poverty and violence.
“This is a strategic intervention to shift from aspiration to execution,” said Futhi Mtoba, WECONA Co-Chair. “‘She Mines the Future’ positions women not as beneficiaries, but as essential contributors to industrial expansion and employment creation.”
Expected outcomes include defined participation frameworks and committed funding mechanisms to scale women’s presence throughout mining value chains.
MEDIA COVERAGE DETAILS:
Date: 10 February 2026
Time: 16:30–20:00 (SAT)
Venue: 22 on Sloane, Cape Town
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW:
The event features WECONA leadership opening remarks and a welcome from SEDFA Acting CEO Nkosikhona Mbatha, followed by a fireside conversation with the Deputy Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources on government initiatives spanning exploration to beneficiation.
Additional sessions include a woman mining entrepreneur’s perspective, mining procurement executives discussing supplier development, the Western Cape Department of Economic Development on provincial opportunities, and Mine Health and Safety Council guidance on workplace safety for women business owners.
Discussions will also cover Transnet’s infrastructure and logistics opportunities, plus funding pathway presentations from the Public Investment Corporation, Industrial Development Corporation, and National Empowerment Fund. Minister Ndabeni will deliver closing remarks on national commitments to inclusive industrialization.
The Women Economic Assembly advocates for women’s equal economic participation across South Africa’s core industries. Through partnerships with government agencies, corporations, and civil society, WECONA addresses systemic barriers preventing women-owned businesses from accessing opportunities in strategic sectors. The organization’s work aligns with Pillar 5 of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, which emphasizes economic opportunity creation for women facing poverty, unemployment, and social marginalization.
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Media Contact:
Thando Dhaza
WECONA Media and Communications Lead
+27 79 429 8263
thando@ingeniousholdings.co.za
