By Abel Daniel Lafia, Lafia, Nasarawa State
The Ziva Community Initiative, a non-governmental organisation, has urged policymakers to implement reforms, gender-sensitive investments, and innovations to unlock women’s full potential in Nigeria’s lithium and energy transition value chain.
Mr. Samuel Pam, Team Lead of Ziva Community Initiative, made the call during a one-day Private-Public Sector Roundtable Dialogue on the Global Lithium Battery Value Chain held in Lafia, Nasarawa State. The dialogue, themed “Advancing Gender-Sensitive Renewable Energy: Expanding Women’s Participation, Adoption, and Leadership Across the Energy Value Chain in Nasarawa State”, highlighted opportunities for women in the evolving energy sector.
Pam noted that despite Nasarawa State’s rich lithium deposits, which place it at the heart of the global energy transition, women’s participation in mining and renewable energy remains limited due to systemic barriers. Key challenges include restricted financial access and under-representation in technical and leadership roles.
He stressed that Nigeria’s clean energy future must be inclusive, saying, “Women should not only benefit from the transition but lead it—as innovators, investors, and policymakers.” Pam added that the dialogue was a collective step toward making the energy and mineral landscape more equitable and sustainable.
Through the Increasing Renewable Energy Investments for the Empowerment of Women in Sustainable Agriculture and Lithium Mining in West Africa (IREEWAM) project, Ziva Community Initiative is championing women’s involvement across the lithium value chain, from mining to downstream processing, refining, and sales. Pam also emphasized including women with disabilities in these reforms.
In her keynote address, Mrs. Atinuke Chammang, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to gender-sensitive approaches in the renewable energy transition. “Women are not only consumers but essential contributors to sustainable agriculture and lithium mining initiatives. Including them in policy and practice strengthens development outcomes,” she said.
Prof. Shewonyadu Iyakwari, Geologist at the Federal University of Lafia, highlighted the need for strengthened policies to empower women’s full participation in energy and mining sectors. Hajiya Sabo, Chairperson of Women in Mining, Nasarawa State Chapter, called for a more conducive mining environment to enhance women’s participation, while Yusuf Dalhatu, State Chairman of the Mining Association of Nigeria, praised Ziva Community Initiative for establishing the Women in Mining chapter in Nasarawa.
The roundtable, supported by the Africa Centre for Energy Policy, brought together government officials, private sector actors, academics, civil society organisations, and women with disabilities to advance dialogue on gender inclusion in the country’s energy transition.