WOMEN IN ENERGY: GLOBAL AND AFRICAN TRENDS IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENERGY TRANSITION.
By
Babafemi Oyewole, PhD, MBA.
Managing Consultant, Energy Synergy Partners and Energy Lead, AMETRADE Ltd.
Abstract:
The global energy sector is undergoing unprecedented transformation driven by climate change, technological innovation, energy security concerns, and the transition toward low-carbon economies. Women play a critical role in this transformation as consumers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, researchers, engineers, and community leaders. However, significant gender disparities persist across the energy value chain, particularly in technical and leadership positions. In Africa, where energy poverty remains a major development challenge, women are disproportionately affected by inadequate access to modern energy services while simultaneously emerging as key actors in renewable energy deployment and clean energy entrepreneurship. This article examines global and African trends in women’s participation in the energy sector, identifies barriers to gender inclusion, explores emerging opportunities associated with renewable energy and climate finance, and proposes policy interventions to strengthen women’s engagement in the energy transition. The article argues that gender-inclusive energy systems are essential for achieving sustainable development, climate resilience, economic growth, and social equity.
Keywords: Women in Energy, Gender Equality, Renewable Energy, Energy Transition, Africa, Sustainable Development, Climate Finance, Energy Access.
Energy remains fundamental to economic growth, industrialization, poverty reduction, and human development. Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy services is recognized as a cornerstone of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 7. Simultaneously, SDG 5 emphasizes the importance of achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.
The intersection of gender and energy has gained increasing attention among policymakers, development practitioners, and researchers. Historically, women have been underrepresented in energy-related decision-making, technical professions, and leadership roles. At the same time, women often bear a disproportionate burden of energy poverty, especially in developing countries where traditional biomass remains a primary source of household energy. Recent data indicate that women remain significantly underrepresented across the global energy industry despite growing recognition of the importance of gender inclusion. Women are particularly underrepresented in STEM-related occupations, medium-skilled technical positions, and senior leadership roles.
The ongoing global energy transition presents immense opportunity to address long-standing gender inequalities while promoting sustainable development. Renewable energy technologies, decentralized energy systems, and digital innovations are creating new pathways for women’s participation in the energy sector. This article reviews current global and African trends regarding women participation in the energy sector and examines the implications for policy and practice.
The relationship between gender and energy can be understood through several theoretical lenses. The Gender and Development (GAD) framework emphasizes the structural inequalities that limit women’s access to resources, opportunities, and decision-making processes. Energy poverty frameworks highlight how unequal access to modern energy services reinforces socioeconomic disparities.
Recent scholarship increasingly recognizes women not merely as beneficiaries of energy interventions but as active agents of change capable of contributing to innovation, entrepreneurship, governance, and sustainability outcomes. Gender-responsive energy policies therefore seek to move beyond access considerations toward empowerment and inclusive leadership.
The concept of a “just energy transition” further underscores the importance of ensuring that the benefits and opportunities arising from energy transformation are equitably distributed among different social groups, including women.
Over the past decade, international organizations have increasingly incorporated gender considerations into energy policies and programs. Global institutions such as the International Energy Agency (IEA), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the World Bank have adopted frameworks promoting women’s participation in the energy sector. Recent data indicate that women remain significantly underrepresented across the global energy industry despite growing recognition of the importance of gender inclusion. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), women account for approximately 32% of full-time employment in the renewable energy sector worldwide. Although this proportion is considerably higher than in conventional energy industries such as oil and gas, where women account for approximately 22% of the workforce, progress has largely stagnated over the past several years. Women are particularly underrepresented in STEM-related occupations, medium-skilled technical positions, and senior leadership roles.
Analysis of sectoral distribution reveals important variations. Women represent approximately 40% of employment in the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry but only 21% in the wind energy sector, reflecting persistent occupational segregation and barriers to technical employment.
Many countries now include gender objectives within national energy strategies, reflecting a broader recognition that diversity contributes to innovation, institutional effectiveness, employment and sustainable development outcomes.
The renewable energy sector has become a significant source of employment opportunities for women. Compared to traditional fossil fuel industries, renewable energy industries generally demonstrate higher levels of female participation. Women increasingly engage in solar energy distribution, project management, engineering, customer service, community outreach, and entrepreneurship. The decentralized nature of many renewable energy technologies has lowered entry barriers and expanded opportunities for women-led enterprises.
Global trends indicate gradual improvement in women’s representation within energy leadership positions. Women now occupy increasing numbers of executive roles in energy companies, government agencies, research institutions, and international organizations. A review of management representation shows that women occupy less than one-fifth of senior management positions within renewable energy companies, despite constituting nearly one-third of the workforce. This leadership gap suggests that increased workforce participation alone is insufficient to achieve gender equality in energy governance.
Table 1: Global Women’s Participation in Selected Energy Subsectors
| Energy Sector | Women’s Share of Employment (%) |
|---|---|
| Renewable Energy (Overall) | 32 |
| Solar PV | 40 |
| Wind Energy | 21 |
| Oil and Gas | 22 |
| Global Labour Force Average | 48 |
Sources: IRENA Gender Reports (2025).
Nevertheless, leadership gaps remain substantial. Women continue to be underrepresented on corporate boards, regulatory authorities, and technical advisory bodies. The “glass ceiling” phenomenon remains evident across much of the sector. The evidence demonstrates that women’s participation in energy is increasing but remains far below its potential. Renewable energy technologies are creating new opportunities because they rely less on traditional industrial structures and more on decentralized, knowledge-intensive, and service-oriented business models.
The African energy transition presents a unique opportunity to address two development challenges simultaneously: energy poverty and gender inequality. Investments in solar energy, mini-grids, clean cooking technologies, and green hydrogen industries can generate substantial employment opportunities for women while expanding energy access.
The African Development Bank and Sustainable Energy for All Unveil Strategic African Program Mission 300 initiative, which seeks to connect 300 million Africans to electricity, together with growing climate finance commitments and renewable energy investments, could provide a platform for significantly increasing women’s participation in Africa’s energy future.
Digital transformation is reshaping energy systems through smart grids, artificial intelligence, energy storage technologies, and data analytics. These developments are creating demand for new skills and competencies that may facilitate greater participation by women. Digital technologies also offer flexible working arrangements that can help address some of the barriers traditionally faced by women in technical professions.
Africa faces the world’s most severe energy access challenges. Millions of households remain without electricity, while many rely on traditional biomass fuels for cooking and heating. Women and girls are particularly affected by energy poverty. Time spent collecting firewood and water often reduces opportunities for education, employment, and civic participation. Exposure to indoor air pollution from traditional cooking methods also contributes significantly to adverse health outcomes. Consequently, improving energy access is intrinsically linked to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment across the continent.
The African energy context presents both a challenge and an opportunity for women’s participation in the sector. The SDG7 Tracking Energy Progress Report (2024) estimates that approximately 666 million people globally lacked access to electricity in 2023, with 565 million of them residing in Sub-Saharan Africa. The region now accounts for approximately 85% of the world’s unelectrified population.
This reality has profound gender implications. Women and girls are disproportionately affected because they bear primary responsibility for household energy management. Lack of electricity reduces opportunities for education, productive employment, healthcare access, and entrepreneurship. The persistence of energy poverty also contributes to significant time poverty. In many rural communities, women spend several hours each day collecting firewood and other biomass fuels. The International Energy Agency has identified clean cooking access in Sub-Saharan Africa as one of the most urgent development challenges due to its disproportionate impact on women and girls.
A notable trend across Africa is the emergence of women entrepreneurs within the renewable energy sector. Women are increasingly establishing businesses focused on solar home systems, clean cooking solutions, mini-grids, and productive-use energy technologies. These enterprises contribute not only to energy access but also to job creation, local economic development, and poverty reduction. Women entrepreneurs often possess strong community networks that facilitate technology adoption and customer engagement.
African countries have witnessed gradual increases in women’s representation within energy ministries, regulatory agencies, and public utilities. Women professionals are contributing to policy formulation, climate negotiations, infrastructure planning, and investment decisions. Despite these gains, representation remains uneven across countries and institutions. Women continue to face barriers related to organizational culture, limited mentorship opportunities, and unequal access to leadership pathways.
Research indicates that, in Africa, women’s participation has contributed significantly to the adoption of solar home systems in rural communities. Electrification has subsequently enhanced women’s ability to engage in income-generating activities such as food processing, retail trade, and digital services.
Kenya’s experience demonstrates how renewable energy markets can simultaneously expand energy access and create economic opportunities for women. Kenya has emerged as a global leader in off-grid solar energy deployment. The country’s success has been driven by innovative mobile payment systems and decentralized renewable energy solutions. Women have played a central role as solar entrepreneurs, sales agents, technicians, and community mobilizers. Companies operating in Kenya’s off-grid solar market have increasingly recruited women as last-mile distributors because of their strong social networks and trusted community relationships.
Rwanda has made notable progress in integrating gender considerations into national development planning and energy sector reforms. The country’s rural electrification strategy explicitly recognizes the importance of women’s participation in energy access initiatives. Through support for clean cooking technologies and decentralized renewable energy systems, women have increasingly become beneficiaries and entrepreneurs within the energy value chain. Government-supported programs have enhanced women’s participation in technical training and energy-related enterprises, contributing to broader national objectives related to gender equality and economic transformation.
Nigeria possesses one of Africa’s largest off-grid energy markets due to persistent electricity supply deficits. Women-led enterprises have become increasingly active in solar distribution, renewable energy financing, and clean cooking initiatives. Rising fuel prices and electricity shortages have accelerated demand for decentralized solar solutions, creating new business opportunities for women entrepreneurs. However, access to finance remains a major challenge. Studies consistently show that women-owned energy businesses face more challenges in obtaining credit and investment capital compared to male-owned enterprises.
South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) has facilitated significant investment in utility-scale renewable energy projects. Women have increasingly entered professional roles within engineering, environmental management, project development, and energy finance. However, participation in senior technical and executive positions remains limited, illustrating the persistence of structural barriers even within more developed energy markets.
The evidence demonstrates that women’s participation in energy is increasing but remains far below its potential. Renewable energy technologies are creating new opportunities because they rely less on traditional industrial structures and more on decentralized, knowledge-intensive, and service-oriented business models. The African energy transition presents a unique opportunity to address two development challenges simultaneously: energy poverty and gender inequality. Investments in solar energy, mini-grids, clean cooking technologies, and green hydrogen industries can generate substantial employment opportunities for women while expanding energy access.
Africa’s abundant renewable energy resources provide a unique opportunity to advance both energy access and gender equality objectives. Solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and bioenergy investments are creating new markets and employment opportunities. The expansion of decentralized energy systems is particularly significant because it allows women to participate as entrepreneurs, technicians, distributors, and community leaders without the high entry barriers associated with traditional energy infrastructure.
The transition to clean cooking technologies represents one of the most significant opportunities for advancing women’s participation in energy markets. Improved cookstoves, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), biogas, ethanol, and electric cooking solutions can reduce health risks while creating entrepreneurial opportunities. Women are increasingly participating across clean cooking value chains as manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and advocates. The growth of climate finance is creating new opportunities for women-led energy initiatives. International climate funds increasingly recognize gender equality as a criterion for project design and implementation. However, women entrepreneurs continue to face constraints in accessing capital due to limited collateral, financial literacy gaps, and systemic biases within financial institutions.
The global green economy is expected to generate millions of new jobs. Ensuring women’s participation in these opportunities requires targeted investments in education, vocational training, mentorship, and STEM-related fields. Youth-focused programs that encourage girls to pursue careers in engineering, renewable energy, and digital technologies are becoming increasingly important.
Despite notable progress, several challenges continue to impede women’s full participation in the energy sector including, limited access to financing and investment capital; underrepresentation in STEM education and technical professions; gender stereotypes and workplace discrimination; insufficient representation in leadership and decision-making positions; weak implementation of gender-responsive policies; limited access to professional networks and mentorship opportunities; cultural and social norms restricting women’s economic participation. Addressing these challenges requires systemic interventions at institutional, national, and international levels.
To accelerate women’s participation in the energy sector, the government must play a leading role. Policymakers should consider strengthening gender-responsive energy policies by the integration of gender considerations throughout government energy planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation processes; expanding access to finance through the development of targeted financial products and guarantee mechanisms that support women-led energy enterprises by financial institutions; promoting STEM education through deliberate investments in girls’ education and technical training that are essential for expanding the pipeline of qualified women professionals in the energy sector; supporting women’s leadership through mentorship programs, leadership development initiatives, and affirmative measures to increase women’s representation in decision-making positions; enhancing data collection for improved gender-disaggregated data that are needed to support evidence-based policymaking and monitor progress toward gender equality objectives. Governments should also incentivise the private sector for the promotion of active women engagement in the energy sector.
The global energy transition presents a historic opportunity to advance gender inclusion in the energy sector while promoting sustainable development. Women are increasingly contributing to renewable energy deployment, entrepreneurship, innovation, policymaking, and climate action. However, substantial disparities still persist in employment, leadership, financing, and technical participation.
In Africa, where energy poverty and gender inequality often intersect, empowering women within the energy sector can generate significant social, economic, and environmental benefits. Women’s participation in the energy sector enhances energy access, strengthens community resilience, promotes inclusive growth, and contributes to climate mitigation and adaptation objectives.
Achieving a truly inclusive and sustainable energy future will require deliberate efforts by both the public and private sector to remove barriers, expand opportunities, and recognize women not merely as beneficiaries of energy interventions but as essential leaders and drivers of the energy transformation that we all desire.
In conclusion, there is need for more research into women participation and representation in global and Africa’s energy sector. Future studies should focus on quantitative analysis of the relationship between electrification and women’s economic empowerment; gender-disaggregated employment data across African energy value chains; comparative studies of women-led renewable energy enterprises; evaluation of gender-responsive climate finance mechanisms; and the role of women in emerging sectors such as battery storage, electric mobility, and green hydrogen. Such research would provide stronger evidence for policy interventions aimed at achieving a just and inclusive energy transition.
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