Omela Ali a natural attraction to business. So when the CEO of the family-owned mining company Mineral Mines of Trinidad Limited decided to enter that field of work, the transition took a lot of courage but it was relatively easy.
“Being involved in conventional business for over 25 years, and being in the construction sector, I decided I was ready for a career change, and that I will take up the biggest challenge of my life and move on.”
She believes many of the challenges and opposition she had encountered over the years as a woman in business prepared her for the resistance and uphill battles that she has faced since she entered this male-dominated industry.
Coming from humble beginnings, Ali said she is proud of her accomplishments. She is neither a second-generation business person, nor is she a graduate from any of the local prestigious institutions. She is, in fact, a graduate of the Junior and Senior Secondary school system, having starting her secondary school education at the then Curepe Junior Secondary School,
and takes every opportunity to remind students who may not come from ideal situations to understand that their background and the school they attended should not be barriers to what they can achieve in life.
“People always underestimate those schools, but I believe its all about application, not just about the schools.”
She is especially interested in getting that message across to young women who are inclined to place limitations on themselves, and encourages them to jump in and follow the trail they want to.
[caption id="attachment_1005378" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Omela Ali's days are long because work in the quarries begins early. - Angelo Marcelle[/caption]
Her work in the field of quarrying and mining has also brought her a level of international recognition. She has been identified as the national ambassador and focal point for the Delve Exchange Programme – an initiative funded by the United Nations and a collaboration among the University of Queensland and the Association of Women in Mining, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the African, Caribbean, Pacific (ACP)-EU Development Minerals Programme. It is intended to facilitate information sharing and knowledge exchange among women in mining and quarrying throughout the ACP nations. Ali said even though the women from the African and Pacific regions are more gold and gemstone miners, they are still able to benefit mutually from each other’s experiences.
“While the operations are not sand and gravel, they are similar, also the lack of acceptance in a male-dominated industry is another challenge that we have in common.”
The Delve Exchange Programme hosts an annual conference to bring these female pioneers together. The first conference was scheduled to be held in Nairobi, Kenya in 2022, but due to challenges encountered by the Trinidad and Tobago chapter, Ali was unable to attend. The message driving the forum is a
