Women-owned mining businesses across Africa have been advised to strengthen their digital records, transparency, and compliance systems to improve access to finance, investment, and international markets. The advice came from Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji, Executive Director of Women in Mining Africa, during a webinar organized under the Mansa Awareness Initiative, a joint programme of Women in Mining Africa and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).
Why Digital Records Matter for Cross-Border Trade
Asokoro-Ogaji said the increasing volume of cross-border trade has made reliable and verifiable business information critical for businesses seeking to expand beyond their domestic markets. She explained that having quality products and an established customer base is no longer sufficient to attract investors, financial institutions, suppliers, and international buyers.
According to her, prospective business partners increasingly require evidence of ownership, operational capacity, legitimacy, regulatory compliance, and the ability to successfully execute transactions. She said poor visibility, weak credibility, and inadequate compliance documentation remain major challenges confronting women-led businesses in the mining sector.
“When potential partners cannot find information about you from a verifiable sector player, it is a problem,” she said.
Mineral Traceability and Compliance Standards
The Women in Mining Africa Executive also stressed the growing importance of mineral traceability, particularly for businesses dealing in gold and other minerals. She noted that international buyers are increasingly concerned about the origin of minerals and suppliers’ compliance with environmental, social, and governance standards.
Asokoro-Ogaji said women are actively participating in different segments of the mining value chain, including extraction, processing, trading, supply, services, and cooperatives. However, she noted that participation alone would not guarantee access to larger markets without proper documentation, transparent operations, and verifiable business records.
According to her, the Mansa platform could assist African businesses in meeting customer due diligence requirements by providing credible information on companies operating across the continent.
“Mansa is Africa’s due diligence data platform. Mansa provides Africa-focused information that can support due diligence on any African entity, including your enterprise,” she said.
AfCFTA Opportunities and the Role of Credible Information
Also speaking, Vice President for Administration of the AfCFTA Young Entrepreneurs Federation, Prof. Frederick Ndalamani Nonde, urged women and young entrepreneurs to prepare for increased competition and opportunities beyond their domestic markets. Nonde said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has created opportunities for businesses to expand across borders, but credible corporate information remains essential for establishing relationships with buyers, investors, and financial institutions.
He said businesses seeking to participate effectively in cross-border trade need greater visibility, credibility, and transparency. “For an enterprise to move beyond its local market, to be able to establish credible business relationships, participate in cross-border trade or position itself for appropriate financial opportunities, it increasingly needs visibility, credibility and transparency,” he said.
Mansa Platform: A Tool for Due Diligence
Presenting the Mansa platform, Business Development Associate for the Anglophone West Africa Region at Mansa Digital Business, Ngoma Nwankwo, said the platform provides due diligence information on African entities, including financial institutions, corporations, and small and medium-sized enterprises. Nwankwo said the platform captures critical information such as business registration details, ownership structures, board and management profiles, as well as corporate and financial data.
She explained that access to reliable business information could enable African companies to identify credible suppliers, customers, and potential business partners while promoting safer and more efficient cross-border transactions. The webinar was organized as part of an initiative targeting women in mining, young entrepreneurs, and other businesses operating across the upstream, midstream, and downstream segments of Africa’s mining value chain.
