Kabatesi Confiance Juliette, who heads all laboratories of Trinity Metals, a company engaged in mining in Rwanda, recently received the award for the woman who has shown innovation in the mining sector on the African continent.
She received the award on June 11, 2024, at a conference held in Ghana, which brought together women working in the mining sector in Africa, known as AWIMA.
This award was given to someone who demonstrated innovation in mining and showed the ability to advance the mining industry overall, but specifically to a woman.
Kabatesi told KURA that this award has given her more strength in her work related to mining.
She said, “Firstly, it showed me that the places women have reached are excellent, where they can be appreciated. This award made me think of doing other good things in this mining sector. Now, I have a broader vision to advance mining, especially to promote women involved in it.”
This woman, who is under 30 years old, began working in the mining sector in 2018 after finishing university. It is a career she has grown in, to the point where she now heads all laboratories of Trinity Metals, which mines in Musha, Rwamagana, Rutongo, and Nyakabingo in Rulindo.
Kabatesi mentioned that women working in mining face challenges because their employers see them as incapable simply because they are women, with many being given the job without even having the opportunity to try.
She said, “Another thing is that in many places, there are no rooms for girls, no ECDs where women can leave their children while they work. In many places, women are not included in decision-making in mining, with the belief that a woman cannot make decisions for the company and no people to promote women in mining.”
Kabatesi advised young girls who fear entering the mining sector that it is a good place to work, with money and many benefits. She said that when a girl dares to work in mining, she not only becomes wealthy but also significantly improves her family’s welfare.
