Modern Mining August 2022

WOMEN IN MINING

Diversity increases the bottom line – Lucara Botswana By Tavistock’s Adam Baynes (associate) and Tara Vivian-Neal (consultant) In August each year, South Africa marks Women’s Month, paying tribute to the more than 20,000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956, in protest against the extension of the Pass Laws to Women. In the context of an already highly patriarchal society, these laws were designed to control women even further, reducing the agency of individuals to that of gendered passivity. woman, to serve in this capacity for a diamond min ing company in Botswana.

Naseem Lahri.

T he theme of Women’s Month 2022 has been titled ’Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights for an Equal Future’ by the South African Government. In light of this, we pay tribute to the female leaders of the African mining industry. In particular, Naseem Lahri, the managing direc tor of Lucara Botswana, Lucara Diamond’s indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary and operator of the Karowe diamond mine, a producer of large high-quality Type IIA diamonds. In June, Lahri was announced as the winner of the prestigious 2022 Forbes Woman Africa Award at the All-Africa Business Leaders Awards. The award recognises African leaders who inspire confidence by rewriting the rules of the game, who campaign for positive change and are committed to economic and social transformation on the continent. A true pio neer, Lahri is the first woman, and the first Motswana

An accomplished Chartered Accountant with a Masters’ Degree in Strategic Management, Lahri first fell in love with mining, and the mining industry, 17 years ago through her role with Debswana and work with Morupule Colliery before moving across to the diamond sector, also under Debswana. “Coming from an accounting background, it was a challenge working with miners, but one that I relished; I loved the constantly changing dynamic, and back when I started, it was made even more interesting with the commencement of continuous mining at the col liery, and the introduction of value-added tax (VAT) in Botswana.” After three years managing all diamond sales, and ten years in various senior roles including run ning the corporate finance department at Debswana,

Karowe Open Pit Mine.

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