While the rest of the continent has enjoyed a resource boom for several years, large-scale discoveries have only recently been made in East Africa.

A glance at Africa’s history with extractive industries clearly shows the devastating potential of the so-called resource curse.

Instead of economic transformation, countries blessed with natural resources have often fallen prey to corruption, mismanagement and even civil war.

East Africa is in the privileged position of being able to learn from these mistakes and ensure a responsible management of natural resources from the very beginning.

The discoveries in question are no small matter. In 2012, four of the world’s five largest natural gas discoveries were in Mozambique.

Uganda has been preparing for the production of oil since discoveries were made four years ago. Kenya joined its resource rich colleagues in 2012, when oil was discovered in the Turkana region. Collectively, these projects are worth billions and if managed wisely, they have the potential to deliver development and prosperity on a grand scale.

With this in mind, UN Women and Publish What You Pay, a global coalition that campaigns for an open and accountable extractive sector, have formed a partnership to work on the link between gender and the resource curse and promote women’s leadership in the field.

Why this partnership? In Africa, women play a crucial role in families and communities and form the backbone of many national economies. If we fail to take into account how they are affected, natural resources will never deliver their full potential.

One of the key areas we will be addressing is the need to have more women at the table. Women are currently excluded from negotiations in most instances.

Yet it seems evident that to broker effective and lasting deals it is critical to include women who, after all, constitute half of the population.

If a deal is to benefit the whole community equally and reduce risks, then women must have a say, and a seat, at the negotiating table. Natural resources belong to the people and are a public good; there is therefore an obligation for women to be involved
Women must also be empowered to speak for their communities.

PWYP and UN Women will be working together to support women in leadership roles, from the local to the national levels. In this vein, more women must be encouraged and supported to study extractive-related disciplines at school and university.

The impact the extractive sector has on women is unique, even while its ramifications echo throughout society as a whole. Women need to be at the table so that they can share their experiences, which may otherwise lie hidden.

A case in Nigeria offers an illustration of how the industry affects women in particular.

When gas flares were installed in the Delta State, communities were initially horrified. Used in oil production, the huge, roaring flames burn continuously, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. However, resourceful local women, making the best of it, quickly realised that these flares offered the perfect location for drying fish and tapioca, local staples.

Tragically, it transpired that the flares were just as dangerous as they looked. Women were falling ill — from cancer, bronchitis and other diseases — all for trying to feed their families.

Like so many across the world, these communities in Nigeria have seen first-hand the double-edged sword of having extractive projects nearby. One of the first issues is that of land — extractive projects often take up land that was originally used for farming. Women are particularly vulnerable to this as they represent up to 70 per cent of the agricultural workforce in sub-Saharan Africa.

This problem is aggravated by the surge in prices of food and household products that often accompanies extraction. A study conducted by PWYP Mali showed that the influx of cash and migrants can increase food prices by up to 300 per cent.  As women tend to be the ones providing food for their families, this new burden falls on their shoulders and has implications for family stability and children’s education.

Another vital role for African women is obtaining clean drinking water for their families. When extractive projects launch, water bodies can become polluted and women have to travel farther in order to collect safe water.

Faith Nwadishi, PWYP co-ordinator in Nigeria, described women having to “wade through spillages, through scrap metal, through crude oil all to the detriment of their own health.”

The sudden arrival of a transient, overwhelmingly male workforce contributes to another chilling consequence: A rise in prostitution, sexually transmitted disease and sexual violence.

All these factors notwithstanding, it would be wrong to view women as simply victims of extraction. They are agents of their own lives, adapting when circumstances change.

A census of the mining village of Mukungwe, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, identified new income-generating activities adopted by local women: From laundry services for miners to selling firewood and sand, used in gold extraction.

Beyond reacting to change, women have the ability to effect change and ensure that natural resources benefit their families and communities.

For years, women in Africa have been campaigning to change the way in which the extractive industry impacts their communities. Last September, grassroots women activists set up a network through which they can exchange experiences and work together.

To amplify these voices, UN Women and PWYP have established a partnership. By combining activists and experts working in gender and the extractives, and pooling our expertise, we will support women and men at both local and national levels to effect change.

East Africa has arrived at a fork in the road and two very different paths lie ahead. There is the well-worn path of secrecy and shadowy deals, leading to squandered opportunity and the betrayal of future generations. Or the path less trodden, one of transparency, equality and inclusivity, a future where all will benefit from their natural resources. It is only though involving women that we can ensure the second path is taken.

Christine Musisi is regional director of UN Women East and Southern Africa; Marinke van Riet is international director of Publish What You Pay