The Nigerian Indigenous Women in Mining and Natural Resources Organisation (NIWIMNRO) has commissioned a newly constructed borehole in Kuchiko-Camp, located in the Tafa Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger state.
This initiative aims to alleviate over 40 years of water hardship in the community.
Speaking during the commissioning on Wednesday, Felicia Dayero, the Executive Director of NIWIMNRO, stated that the project was a direct response to the urgent need for access to clean and safe water, particularly for the women and children most affected by the water crisis.
“The commissioning marks a significant milestone in the organization’s engagement with Kuchiko-Camp. For the women who previously walked long distances to fetch water, this intervention is not just a convenience; it is a life-changing shift that improves health, saves time, and restores dignity,” she emphasised.
Dayero added, “Beyond the borehole, NIWIMNRO’s broader work in the community is centered on amplifying the role of women in sustaining the mining value chain—socially, economically, and environmentally.”
NIWIMNRO believes that if mining is made inclusive and responsibly managed, it can become a powerful platform for cultural and economic fusion, where women are not only participants but also leaders.
“As an organisation working for women in the mining sector not just women, but rural women that’s our mandate: to ensure that they are empowered, recognized, and valued as contributors to sustainable development,” she stressed.
She further highlighted the burden on women: “Women bear all the stress; they go to the mining site, return to cook, and then fetch water from streams. We wanted to relieve that stress, improve their health, and serve the entire community.”
Dayero also underscored the urgent need to formalize operations and empower women miners.
“They lack knowledge; they are exploited daily. They know they’re being cheated but don’t have a choice. They don’t know where to sell their minerals; middlemen extort them,” she said.
She added that formalisation, through initiatives like forming cooperatives, is crucial, as is providing market access and capacity building.
Earlier, Halima Ibrahim, the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Officer for Niger state at the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, confirmed the collaborative effort.
She recounted visiting the site with NIWIMNRO, witnessing the dire water situation, and facilitating the project.
“The project began about three months ago when a representative of NIWIMNRO called and expressed interest in certain communities,” Ibrahim noted.
Ibrahim prefers the term “informal miners” over “illegal miners,” arguing that criminalizing those the government aims to help would be counterproductive.
“Globally, the word ‘informal’ is more appropriate. Once you criminalise those you want to help, you drive them away,” she stated, noting that artisanal miners constitute 97% of Nigeria’s mining activity and represent significant economic potential.
The Community Leader and Miner, Samuel Hassan, expressed gratitude on the borehole project, however, he painted a grim picture.
He also highlighted the meager income, with miners making only N10,000 to N30,000 a month due to lack of equipment and exploitation by “gold buyers who follow us into the bush.”
“No hospital, no road, no light. Women die during childbirth. At night, we carry them on motorcycles to Jiko. Before we reach, they die,” Hassan lamented.
Hassan pleaded to the government for more interventions into “We need help. We need a road. We need light. We need a hospital. We need a washing machine engine to help us dig. If we get support, we will get more gold.”
However, Dayero views these realities as rallying points for reform.
She expressed NIWIMNRO’s plan to replicate this intervention across all mining communities in Nigeria.
“The organisation aims to show that when women are trained, organised, and resourced, they become active architects of their own future.
“In Kuchiko-Camp, the new borehole is more than a public utility; it’s a powerful symbol of visibility and a call to action. It signifies that Kuchiko-Camp matters, its women count, and that with genuine investment, accountability, and continued presence from the government, private sector, and society at large, change can flow—one woman, one borehole, one community at a time.
“This is just the beginning; we intend to replicate this gesture across all mining communities in Nigeria,” she disclosed.