Global Leaders Call for $20m Catalytic Fund To Drive Gender-Inclusive Energy Transition At CSW70

At the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), global leaders, policymakers, and private sector stakeholders called for a decisive shift toward strategic investment in gender inclusion as a critical driver of the global energy transition.

The high-level convening, themed “Catalyzing Energy Justice: Energizing Communities through Women/Girls and Sports,” brought together voices from government, development finance, and industry to advance a unified message: inclusive energy systems are essential to building competitive, resilient, and scalable economies.

Opening the call for global action, Syndoph Endoni, Nigeria’s Chargé d’Affaires to the United Nations, emphasised that equitable access to energy must be treated as a central pillar of global development and economic inclusion.

“Energy is far more than a commodity,” he stated. “It is an enabler of dignity, opportunity, and human progress.”

He further stressed that without deliberate efforts to integrate women into energy access, financing systems, and decision-making structures, the global transition to sustainable energy will remain incomplete and inequitable.

Dr Omopeju Afanu, Chair of the CSW70 Planning Committee and Co-Chair of the Global Working Group for the Girls in Energy Project, framed energy access as a fundamental economic input and a critical lever for unlocking productivity across emerging markets.

“Access to energy is access to economic participation,” she stated, noting that energy determines whether businesses can operate efficiently, supply chains function reliably, and communities integrate into formal economies.

She highlighted that persistent energy gaps continue to suppress market growth, particularly for women-led enterprises, which remain underrepresented in both energy access and financing ecosystems.

Positioning the initiative within a capital markets framework, Dr Afanu, a Canada-based financial and business development consultant, introduced a bold financial vision:

“We are putting forward a bold ambition to mobilize 20 million dollars toward this work. To some, that may sound ambitious. To others, it may sound like a lot. But in truth, when measured against the scale of the opportunity and the existing financing gap, 20 million dollars is catalytic; it is designed to unlock significantly larger pools of capital.”

She emphasised that the proposed fund is structured not as an expenditure, but as an investment vehicle.

“We are not merely talking about 20 million dollars as a fund to spend. We are talking about 20 million dollars as catalytic capital; capital that can de-risk innovation, crowd in institutional investment, attract private finance, and enable blended financing structures. This is capital that can move viable models from pilot stages into scalable, bankable systems and accelerate market development across the Global South.”

Underscoring the urgency from a strategic investment perspective, she added: “We have five years to 2030. In investment terms, that is a compressed window, but it is sufficient for well-structured capital deployment, strong partnerships, and disciplined execution. With the right coordination between public and private actors, this timeframe is enough to demonstrate scalable models, unlock follow-on capital, and deliver measurable economic returns alongside social impact.”

Reinforcing the implementation pathway, Adebusuyi Olutayo Olumadewa, Founder of the DoTheDream Youth Development Initiative, highlighted the Girls in Energy Project’s role in translating strategy into execution.

He emphasised that the initiative integrates human capital development with scalable renewable energy solutions, creating a pipeline for women and girls to move into employment, entrepreneurship, and leadership roles within the energy ecosystem, while directly powering communities and strengthening local economies.

The convening highlighted that energy access is a powerful driver of economic growth, supporting enterprise development, improving productivity, and unlocking new industries in the renewable energy sector.

However, persistent gaps in access and inclusion continue to limit the full participation of women, representing both a development challenge and a significant missed economic opportunity for global markets.

With less than five years remaining to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, stakeholders called for a shift from fragmented efforts to coordinated, investment-led solutions capable of delivering measurable impact at scale.

The discussions reinforced the need for stronger collaboration between governments, private sector leaders, development finance institutions, and global partners to finance and implement inclusive energy systems that can drive sustainable growth.
As global economies navigate the transition toward cleaner and more resilient energy systems, the message from CSW70 remains clear: the future of the global energy economy will be shaped by those who invest in inclusion today.

By positioning gender inclusion as a strategic lever for market expansion, innovation, and long-term economic resilience, the convening highlighted the role of catalytic capital in unlocking opportunity and accelerating shared prosperity across the Global South and beyond.