…Launch new report
By Chinenye Anuforo
The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and Shortlist, a talent advisory firm have reiterated commitment to empowering women in Clean Energy sector.
The duo today released a new report titled “Empowering Women in Clean Energy: Advancing and Retaining an Equitable Workforce,”
highlighting new data on the experiences of women in the clean energy sector in Africa.
The data, collected from over 150 professionals across sub-Saharan Africa, provides insights on the causes of gender inequity in the traditionally male-dominated industry. The report also features the sector’s first pay equity analysis, revealing the positive but unequal impact of job training and placement programs on salaries in the industry.
Speaking during the launch of the report in Lagos, Muhammad Wakil, Country Delivery Lead in Nigeria for GEAPP, explained that new report builds upon initial September 2023 release, “Bottlenecks and Breakthroughs: Advancing Gender Equity in African Clean Energy,” which explored the challenges women face entering the clean energy field.
“Empowering Women in Clean Energy takes the next step by focusing on the specific workplace barriers hindering women’s advancement and retention within the sector. The urgency of tackling gender inequity in the clean energy sector cannot be overstated, and this report aims to shed light on the intricate dynamics at play.”
He stated that the strategic launch of the report, exactly a week to International Women’s Day, underlines the significance of this topic and adds symbolic importance to the discussions. “The report’s findings directly contribute to this year’s International Women’s Day broader theme of “Inspire Inclusion” and UN’s theme on ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.’ This timing also aligns with our quest for empowerment in clean energy, emphasizing the need for collective action to address gender inequity within the sector.”
Continuing, Wakil pointed out the renewable energy sector is growing exponentially in Africa and provides many job opportunities for women and men in the industry. However, women lag in leadership and technical jobs in the renewable energy sector. He said, “Women hold just 22 percent of jobs in energy production and distribution, according to the International Energy Agency, even though they make up 48 percent of the global workforce. The number is even lower among senior managers: just 14 percent. GEAPP firmly believes that the provision of renewable energy must foster gender equity for the transition to yield full economic gains. Recognizing the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and the unique threats it poses to their livelihoods, health, and safety, GEAPP is actively involved in initiatives that empower women through sustainable and profitable renewable energy businesses.”
On her own part, Ciara Remerscheid, Director of Shortlist Futures, and author of the report stated that as investments in climate and clean energy grow in Africa, there is need to pay serious attention to female labor force participation in green jobs. She added that, “This report provides a blueprint for clean energy companies to harness the talent of women throughout their organizations.”
“The reports were funded by GEAPP as part of the “Women for Green Jobs” (W4GJ) program implemented by Shortlist with support from Value for Women. The aim of W4GJ is to help more women access and succeed in clean energy careers in Africa, specifically targeting job placements, career support and employer-level interventions across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Uganda. This program works with over forty clean energy companies, including Husk Power, Nuru, Sistema.bio and Sun King, to support their growth by addressing equitable hiring challenges”, she said.
Corroborating, Makena Ireri, Director of Demand Jobs and Livelihoods at GEAPP also pointed out that women experience the greatest repercussions of climate change, which amplifies existing gender inequalities. “A powerful transformation is underway in the African clean energy sector, as companies are making explicit efforts to hire and retain women at every level. As we work to further an equitable green energy transition, we see an unprecedented opportunity to drive greater job and economic opportunities for women, youth and low-income communities.”
Ireri added that, “Empowering Women in Clean Energy: Advancing and Retaining an Equitable Workforce” features a gender pay equity analysis of clean energy professionals that have been placed in the W4GJ program over the past five years. The analysis finds that third-party training and placement programs such as W4GJ play a crucial role in boosting compensation parity between male and female employees. While the W4GJ program increased incomes for female candidates in absolute terms, we found that when compared to male peers in the sectors, hourly earnings for men accelerated at a faster pace than women, particularly after the program intervention.”