emPower Women, Power Africa
Clara Nwadinigwe
E.P.A | Corporate Communications | #raisingawarenessonepostatatime
According to the International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy (ENERGIA), two of the greatest challenges facing the world in meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for Agenda 2030 are universal energy access (SDG7) and gender equality and women’s empowerment (SDG5). For them, the two SDGs are mutually beneficial.
Gender inequality has been acknowledged as a barrier to economic progress and boosting women's participation in the workforce and leadership positions has been shown to have positive effects. However, African women are still unable to work in major industries, particularly the energy sector due to numerous obstacles. Several statistics have confirmed that women make up less than 50% of all employees in the power sector, and a small percentage of them have positions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Based on a World Bank study, attempts to lessen gender inequality and bridge the gender pay gap are hampered by a lack of female leadership and representation in the major private sector decision-making bodies. Board positions are frequently filled through networking at the highest echelons of the corporate world, which is dominated by men and perhaps encouraged by social or religious conventions. These biases perpetuate the current quo at the expense of improved outcomes and decision-making by ignoring eligible women for executive-level and board roles.
The first step in moving forward is to change discriminatory societal norms; you won't see diversity unless you address the foundation by enabling more women to study engineering and supporting their pursuit of STEM-related fields of study. Second, African women require advantageous working conditions because in the energy sector, societal biases still exist. Younger women may be inspired to take leadership roles if there are more women in the boardroom.
While numerous efforts and policies are being introduced to support gender mainstreaming in the relevant industry, effective execution and the required support must be the key priorities to guarantee that these policies have a real impact on the energy sector. African leaders and policy makers ought to concentrate on measures that foster a welcoming workplace for female executives. Increasing access to STEM education and removing gender prejudice from schools at a young age are also necessary. Governments could offer financial incentives to businesses in the energy?sector to encourage them to appoint more women as decision-makers and leaders. The energy?sector in the region would gain by offering leadership development programs to its talented female employees and from doing away with unfair/unhealthy workplace competition. Take for instance The Women in Energy Network (WIEN), an umbrella body that facilitates collaboration amongst women across Africa, creating a platform for them to network, as well as invest in the industry and develop core skills and capabilities, whilst offering opportunities for mentoring.
Every job opportunity matters in Africa given the high rates of unemployment and the lack of high-quality employment opportunities. When the fear of resultant unemployment from such a change is thoroughly addressed, the popular energy transition discourse would acquire momentum in economies dependent on fossil fuels, such as Africa. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has stressed that renewable energy projects can counterbalance job losses caused by a reduction in energy technology based on fossil fuels because in the end, a ‘just’ transition is all about the individuals and communities involved.
The focus of renewable energy training institutions should be on equipping entrepreneurs (particularly those from rural areas) who will promote access to power in their communities through their enterprises and, second, preparing a qualified workforce that will be employed by?energy companies. Education is more than writing on a whiteboard; the teaching method, hands-on practice, role-play, simulations, and an active participation in the outside world help participants put what they have learned into practice. Women’s energy entrepreneurship needs to be adopted as an essential strategy and added to national policy and programme toolboxes for achieving reliable energy access.
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Local content policies (LCPs) are another way to accelerate women participation in the African energy industry. The agreements governing the local content policies of oil and gas (O&G) corporations should include investments in infrastructure and services for impacted communities. The gender gap can be bridged by making sure that women receive equal compensation, participate in community programs, and receive royalties (social investments) from the industry; promote women's direct, waged employment in the O&G sector; encourage or require suppliers and subcontractors to employ women (indirect employment); and make it possible for female entrepreneurs to access the?sector?as suppliers and subcontractors. Providing equitable access for women and girls to education, including STEM fields, skill development, and capacity building, together with their male counterparts, is a requirement for all these objectives. Currently, several O&G-producing states are adding "local content" criteria to their regulatory frameworks. These regulations are designed to increase employment, foster business growth, and quicken the transfer of knowledge and technology. The local content laws in Africa?should place a strong emphasis on the opportunities available to local businesses and people when foreign O&G establishments operate in a nation, preserving more employment and financial resources there. Local content must be promoted for local enterprises to participate in the supply chain and compete more effectively.
To promote collaboration and joint ventures, local and sectoral policies should identify gaps and develop support mechanisms (access to credit, training, information flows, etc.) for local SMEs, especially those owned by women. Given that African women are more actively involved in entrepreneurship than women on any other continent, encouraging SME activity in the area would be a crucial choice for them.
All of these strategies will encourage women to increase participation across the energy value chain, spur economic growth in Africa and have a positive commercial impact on investors.
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Project Manager | Scrum Master
2 年Great write up!