Reading · Women in Geopolitics

Africa possesses some of the world’s most valuable natural resources. Yet, for Opondo Mildred Akinyi, resource wealth has too often become associated with conflict, political contestation and communities that bear the costs without receiving a fair share of the benefits.

A Kenyan legal expert specialising in natural resources and environmental law, Mildred approaches Africa’s resource question through the lens of governance, law and intergenerational responsibility.

Her concern is fundamental: how can Africa use its natural wealth today without compromising the rights and prosperity of future generations?

She argues that natural resources should not be depleted or misused simply because they are available. Instead, Africa needs stronger systems to protect its resources and ensure that extraction contributes to intergenerational prosperity.

But there is another dimension to the problem.

Mildred points to the way resource-rich regions can become vulnerable to conflict and political manipulation. When wars and instability emerge around resource-rich territories, African countries can be left dealing with the human and economic consequences while valuable resources continue to leave the continent.

For her, this raises a difficult question:

Who benefits from Africa’s natural wealth, and who pays the price when governance fails?

The answer, she argues, must begin with stronger African legal frameworks.

International agreements and continental instruments can provide important principles, but their effectiveness depends on national implementation and enforcement. Mildred argues that African countries need to develop legal frameworks that reflect their own geopolitical, environmental and resource realities rather than simply reproducing systems developed elsewhere.

And women must be part of this conversation.

Mildred challenges the assumption that women have little role in mining simply because they may not be physically extracting minerals.

Women are workers, entrepreneurs, processors, artisans, caregivers and community members within mining economies. They are also often the ones carrying households when mining-related accidents or instability affect male breadwinners.

So the question is not simply whether women enter the mine.

It is whether women’s economic interests, safety, rights and participation are built into the governance of the entire natural-resource value chain.

Mildred points to instruments such as CEDAW, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Maputo Protocol and the Sustainable Development Goals as important foundations for advancing women’s rights and participation. However, she argues that Africa still needs more specific frameworks addressing the realities of women working across the mining sector.

Her vision ultimately extends beyond protection.

Africa must be able to negotiate from a position of strength, retain more value from its resources and build systems that allow its people to benefit from the wealth beneath their feet.

“We need a framework in mining because we want to protect our resources and benefit from them, instead of suffering from them.”
— Opondo Mildred Akinyi

That is perhaps the heart of Mildred’s message. Africa does not need saviours.

It needs strong institutions, effective laws, informed leadership and the confidence to negotiate as a continent.

And African women must be part of that process.

The Women in Geopolitics Debate Series is a high-level thought-leadership platform dedicated to amplifying African voices, particularly women’s voices, in conversations on geopolitics, global affairs, governance, leadership and development.

Through dialogue with women leaders, diplomats, policymakers, business leaders, academics and experts from across Africa and beyond, the programme is building a growing archive of African women’s perspectives on the issues shaping our continent and our world.

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Madelein Mkunu is the President of Leading Women of Africa (LWA), a Pan-African social enterprise promoting women's leadership in economic development, and the founder of Beyond Boundaries, a global content and advocacy platform amplifying African women’s voices in policy, peacebuilding, and development. A bilingual English–French strategist and accomplished public speaker, she brings over 20 years of experience in gender mainstreaming, inclusive governance, and stakeholder engagement across Africa and globally. She holds an MBA and a Master’s in Management from IEDC-Bled School of Management (Slovenia), a Postgraduate Degree in Development Studies from the University of the Western Cape (South Africa), a Certificate in Leadership from the Dale Carnegie Institute, and is an alumna of Michigan State University’s Women Empowerment Programme. With a background in accounting and a passion for transformative change, Madelein is a trusted advisor to institutions seeking Africa-rooted development solutions.

Opondo Mildred Akinyi-Africa Must Protect Its Resources — and Ensure Its People Benefit

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