Mining industry women from Geodrill empower Ofoase Kokoben SHS girls

Girls at Ofoase Kokoben Senior High School (SHS) in the Ashanti Region have been encouraged to take up courses in male-dominated fields, such as mining to contribute to the development of the country.

As part of activities marking International Women’s Day (IWD), female workers of mining and drilling services company Geodrill Limited visited the school and interacted with the students, sharing their experiences in the field and explaining why they should consider technically-related courses.

Antoinette Ankutse, of Geodrill, told News Ghana in an interview the motivation behind their visit and engagement.

“As part of International Women’s Day, we went to advise and empower the girls regarding courses to be pursued at the universities. We are into mining, and we wanted to use ourselves as a case study for the girls to realize that it is possible.”

She expressed optimism that the engagement will encourage the Ofoase Kokoben SHS girls and others across the country to take a cue from the female workers of Geodrill.

“In general, females should not be pushed into secretarial and clerical work but rather directed towards the technical fields,” added Ankutse.

The students thanked the female employees of Geodrill for taking time out of their busy schedules to empower them about their future careers.

Earlier on, Geodrill ran a staff consultation as part of the IWD to discuss greater community engagement to encourage women in mining.

Among some notable female staff of Geodrill Company are Bernice Gbadam, Doris Danso, and Becky Elithia, the first woman to work in Geodrill, the first woman to obtain a Geodrill driving permit, and the first woman to pursue an accounting program, respectively.

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8 around the world to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

Geodrill has long set out to be a leader in championing strong economic, social and governance principals that drive the company’s activity.

Increasing the percentage of women employed in the company is clear target measured in the company’s annual ESG Impact report.