White Paper

Every day, thousands of women in Mali’s artisanal mining communities keep local economies afloat. Yet despite their essential contributions, they remain largely invisible, denied land, financial services, and a voice in decision-making. Entrenched traditions and systemic barriers keep them from fully benefiting from an industry built on their labor.
But the tide is turning.

Through Canada’s FEMA project and its Gender Equality and Inclusive GBA+ Study, new light is being shed on both the challenges women face and the powerful ways they are organizing for change.

Women from the village of Sekohamata, Sitakily commune, on a mining site

A Sector Built on Inequality

In Kéniéba, just 2% of women own mining land, compared to 44% of men. Customary leaders still control land rights, rarely recognizing women’s claims. This forces many women to rely on male relatives for access.

Access to credit is just as unequal: only 2% of women have formal financing. Most turn to informal lenders, exposing them to high-interest debt and dependence on middlemen. Income disparities are stark, men earn up to seven times more than women in gold trading.

Despite their economic role, 72% of women are excluded from decision-making, and only 10.6% hold leadership roles, far below the national target of 30%.

Women Organizing for Change

Across mining communities, women are mobilizing to reclaim power and reshape their futures.

• Securing Land and Finance

In Dialafara, women-led negotiations with village leaders led to a 57% increase in women’s land ownership. Meanwhile, community savings groups like AVEC are transforming access to finance. These initiatives help women pool resources, invest in businesses, and increase financial independence—with participants reporting a 20% increase in savings.

• Building Alternatives Beyond Mining

Mining offers income, but for many women, it also means instability and risk. That’s why many are shifting toward agriculture, agro-processing, and trade sectors where they can earn more and work in safer, more stable environments.

The FEMA study shows that women in market gardening now out-earn men in the same sector, 48,611 FCFA/month compared to 43,417. FEMA has helped establish 15 women-led cooperatives, boosting their collective bargaining power and access to markets, training, and equipment.

• Taking Leadership Roles

Traditional mining governance excludes women from key decisions, keeping them from shaping the policies that affect their livelihoods. But that is beginning to change.

Local advocacy groups are gaining ground, and FEMA is helping women build leadership skills through training in cooperative management and community governance. While only a fraction of women currently hold formal roles, these efforts are planting the seeds of lasting change.

Women from the village of Segreya, Dabia commune, on a mining site

Why This Matters

• When women own land, they can invest with confidence.
• When women access finance, they launch businesses that strengthen families and local economies.
• When women lead, communities become more inclusive, resilient, and forward-looking.

What Needs to Happen Next?

• Expand programs like AVEC to reach more women with accessible finance.
• Engage communities to challenge cultural norms that block women from land rights.
• Invest in economic alternatives that offer women safer, more secure livelihoods beyond mining.

Empowering women isn’t just about access, it’s about removing the structural barriers that have kept them at the margins for too long.

A More Inclusive Future is Within Reach

Women in Mali’s artisanal mining communities are no longer waiting for change, they are building it. The FEMA project stands with them, supporting their push for land rights, financial access, and leadership.

As Canada deepens its commitment to gender equality in international development, ensuring women are central to economic programs is not just fair, it’s strategic. When women succeed, communities thrive.

Let’s work toward a mining sector and a world that sees and supports the women who keep it running.

Further Reading

Explore our research on the political economy of mining governance in Kéniéba https://projetfema.com/

About the FEMA Project

The Femmes et Enfants des Communautés Minières Artisanales (FEMA) project in Mali is implemented by Cowater International from 2022 to 2027. It is funded by the Government of Canada (48 billion FCFA or CAD 9.9 million) and B2GOLD (225 million FCFA or CAD 464,800).

FEMA aims to achieve the following results in mining communities in the Kéniéba district:

• Improve economic opportunities for women and adolescent girls;
• Reduce the presence of children on mining sites and promote gender equality;
• Strengthen local governance of the artisanal mining sector (ASM), while reducing its negative impacts on mining communities, including on the environment and gender equality.

The project is being implemented in 20 villages across four communes in the Kéniéba district: Dabia, Dialafara, Kéniéba, and Sitakily, in the Kayes region. In addition to working with national and local authorities — including the Ministry of Geology and Mines, decentralized technical services, and municipalities — the project relies on the contributions of Canadian NGOs Impact and Right to Play.