Women make up a substantial share of Uganda's artisanal mining workforce, concentrated in ore crushing, washing, sorting and site catering, yet they have historically been last in line for protective equipment and safety instruction.
Associations across Busia, Namayingo and Mubende are changing that with structured training cycles covering pit safety, dust and mercury exposure, protective equipment use, and the bookkeeping needed to hold a licence or supply contract.
Licensed operators as training partners
Some of the most effective sessions have been run alongside licensed medium-scale operators, which have the equipment, site protocols and trainers that associations lack. Local-first hiring policies have also opened technical and administrative roles that were previously closed to women in these districts.
What is still missing
Access to finance remains the binding constraint. Training raises capability; without working capital, associations cannot buy the equipment that would let them formalise as licensed groups.