Regular data and information disclosure will enable better women’s participation in Nigeria’s extractive industries. This is according to Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, the executive secretary of Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
Dr. Orji stated this during the 5th edition of the Nkechi Isigwe Annual Lecture (NIAL), organized by the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) on Saturday, November 12, in Nigeria’s federal capital, Abuja.
- Dr. Orji said, “The global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which NEITI implements, is founded on the philosophy that regular disclosures of information and data in the extractive sector will promote public debate, foster civic actions and accountability.”
He said this while addressing current women’s representation in Nigeria’s oil, gas, and mining industries. He said more transparency and accountability in the industries will drive better women representation across all value chains.
Related story: During the November 9 Legislative Transparency and Accountability Summit, Dr. Orji spoke extensively about the importance of transparency as a core requirement for accountability in the extractive industries. He said NEITI is prepared to work with the legislative arm of government to push for more transparency and effectiveness in Nigeria’s extractives industries – mining and oil & gas. He also called on the legislature to give NEITI reports more prominent attention in its parliamentary proceedings the same way its public Account Committee receives and treats the Auditor General Audit Report. This, according to him, will increase transparency in extractives.
NIAL event takeaway: Dr. Orji said women deserve better representation and employment in the country’s extractive industries. According to him, increased participation of women in the extractives industries will help Nigeria grow its economy. He called on stakeholders to do more to expand opportunities for women in the extractive industries.
Extractives employment data on Nigeria as of 2020: In its 2020 oil industry report, NEITI highlighted the fact that employment data requested from 69 extractive companies and the state-owned enterprises (SOE) covered in the 2020 audit showed that:
- A total of 18,712 were employed by the 60 entities that provided employment data for the 2020 audit.
- Of this number, 15,266 (82%) were male while 3,446 (18%) were female.
- Regarding the occupational level or quality of the employment positions offered by the entities in 2020, of the 18,712 total employees, 1495 (8%) were top-level employment, 9,475 (51%) were middle level while 7,742 (41%) were lower-level employment.
- 88% of employees were from the local/state/ host communities, 9% were employed from other areas/states, and 3% of the newly recruited workforce were expatriates.
- Meanwhile, in its 2020 mining industry report, NEITI states that employment data were requested from 102 companies that fell within the threshold.
- However, only 29 companies provided employment data. Out of the 5,820 employees reported in 2020, about 86% were male and 14% were female.
For the record: Nigeria earned $741.47billion from the oil and gas sector between 1999 and 2020. The country also earned N624.1 billion from its solid minerals sector between 2007 and 2020.
