MONROVIA, LIBERIA — OCTOBER 22, 2026: — The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), through its Gender Unit, is strengthening efforts to institutionalize gender equality and social inclusion across Liberia’s mining and energy sectors through a technical review of its Draft Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Policy for 2027–2031.

The review, held on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, in the Ministry’s Main Conference Room in Monrovia, brought together government representatives, sector institutions, technical experts, and other stakeholders to assess the proposed five-year policy and provide recommendations to strengthen its implementation framework.

Led by Martina Honsa-Janeta, Head of the MME Gender Unit, the exercise seeks to ensure that gender equality and social inclusion are systematically integrated into the Ministry’s institutional operations, policy development, regulatory functions, and service delivery.

Delivering the opening remarks, Assistant Minister for Planning, Emmanuel Vaye, underscored the strategic importance of the proposed policy to the Ministry’s long-term institutional development and its responsibility to promote transparent, accountable, sustainable, and equitable management of Liberia’s mineral and energy resources.

He emphasized that achieving these objectives requires deliberate and coordinated efforts to ensure that women, men, young people, persons with disabilities, and other potentially disadvantaged groups have fair opportunities to participate in and benefit from developments in the mining and energy sectors.

The draft GESI Policy identifies persistent challenges that limit the participation of women and other disadvantaged groups in the mining sector, particularly in accessing mineral rights, financing, equipment, technical training, formal markets, leadership positions, and decision-making processes.

It also highlights social and environmental concerns affecting mining communities, including livelihood disruptions, occupational health and safety risks, child labor, gender-based violence, and unequal access to the benefits generated by mining-related investments.
In the energy sector, the proposed policy recognizes that limited access to affordable and reliable electricity can disproportionately increase unpaid domestic responsibilities, particularly for women and girls.

The framework further addresses barriers that women, young people, and persons with disabilities may encounter in accessing technical employment, participating in renewable energy enterprises, and pursuing leadership opportunities across the sector.
Through these interventions, the Ministry aims to promote a more inclusive environment in which opportunities, resources, and the benefits of sector development are accessible to a broader cross-section of the Liberian population.

Beyond sector-specific challenges, the proposed policy calls for a comprehensive review of the Ministry’s internal employment practices, career development opportunities, workplace accessibility, staff representation, safeguarding arrangements, and data management systems.
A central objective of the five-year framework is to move beyond broad commitments to equality and inclusion by establishing clear institutional responsibilities, measurable targets, and accountability mechanisms.

The policy proposes integrating GESI principles into leadership and human resource management, institutional planning and budgeting, procurement, regulatory activities, community engagement, monitoring, and reporting.

During the technical review, participants examined the proposed policy standards, institutional arrangements, safeguards, and costed implementation framework. Discussions focused on improving the document’s practicality, clarifying responsibilities among relevant institutions and departments, and identifying realistic priorities for implementation.

The review also emphasized the importance of ensuring that the policy is supported by adequate resources, measurable performance expectations, sustained leadership commitment, and regular monitoring to assess progress and address implementation challenges.
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The involvement of the MME Gender Unit reflects the Ministry’s commitment to making gender equality and social inclusion integral to effective governance rather than treating them as stand-alone initiatives.

Through the policy development process, the Gender Unit is working to establish a coordinated institutional approach that connects internal administrative practices with the realities confronting women, vulnerable groups, workers, and communities affected by mining and energy operations.

Stakeholder participation remains central to the process, providing an opportunity for technical experts, government institutions, and other relevant actors to contribute recommendations that will help ensure the final policy reflects Liberia’s development priorities and the needs of its people.

Participants were encouraged to offer constructive and practical recommendations to strengthen the proposed framework and ensure that its commitments are translated into everyday institutional practices and sector operations.

Once finalized and adopted, the MME Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Policy 2027–2031 is expected to provide a structured framework for promoting equal opportunities, strengthening safeguards, expanding participation in decision-making, and improving access to the benefits of Liberia’s mining and energy sectors.
The policy is also expected to support more inclusive institutional practices, strengthen accountability, and improve the Ministry’s capacity to respond to the needs of diverse stakeholders throughout the country.

The initiative reinforces the Ministry of Mines and Energy’s broader responsibility to ensure that the development of Liberia’s mineral and energy resources contributes not only to economic growth but also to social equity, institutional accountability, and sustainable national development.

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