Australia Awards alumna, receives prestigious 2024 Association of Women in Mining in Africa (AWIMA) Leadership Award

Australia Awards alumna, Mbathio Ngom, received the 2024 Association of Women in Mining in Africa (AWIMA) Leadership Award in the Category: Gender Equality Trailblazer Award during a awards ceremony in Accra on 11 June 2024.

Mbathio’s extraordinary achievements and commitment in the mining sector have secured her a prestigious position in the Association of Women in Mining in Africa’s (AWIMA) Hall of Fame as a trailblazer. She has, for example, significantly contributed to the digitalisation of processes and the digital transformation of her department in the Ministry of Mines and Geology. Mbathio is currently the Information Technology Coordinator at the Ministry of Mines and Development in Senegal and specialises in Geographic Information Systems and assessment of natural resources. She also has an interest in geology, spatial planning and geospatial data administration and the use of GIS software such as ArcGIS and QGIS.

Mbathio completed her Australia Awards Short Course in Geospatial Information Systems at the James Cook University in 2012.

“I dedicate the Leadership Award trophy to all women and girls, particularly those in the extractive sector. Stronger together for a responsible, more equitable and inclusive extractive sector!”, she says.

Mbathio serves as an Australia Awards Africa’s Pan African WILN Council member and focal point for the Australian Awards WIL Chapter in Senegal. She has 19 years of professional experience in mining administration in Senegal and as the Coordinator of the IT Unit.

As a founding member of Women in Mining (WIM) Senegal, she is a dedicated advocate for inclusive governance in the extractive industries, particularly to improve the living and working conditions of women.  She also focusses on the promotion of gender-disaggregated statistics and as a project lead made a significant contribution to the develop of the gender index for the extractive sector.

Mbathio also pays it forward to the next generation with her involvement in mentorship which encourage the participation of young girls in scientific fields and innovation.