Study Reveals Gaps In Female Workforce In Clean Energy Sector

A new report released yesterday by Shortlist and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), has revealed that women remain severely under-represented across levels of management in clean energy companies.

The study entitled, “Empowering Women in Clean Energy: Advancing and Retaining an Equitable Workforce,” covering over 150 professionals across sub-Saharan Africa, highlights new data on the experiences of women in the clean energy sector in Africa.
The data provides insights on the causes of gender inequity in the traditionally male-dominated industry. It 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.

Director of Shortlist Futures, and author of the report, Ciara Remerscheid, speaking in Lagos at the unveiling of the report which included a panel session, said “As investments in climate and clean energy grow in Africa, we need to pay serious attention to female labour force participation in green jobs.
“This report provides a blueprint for clean energy companies to harness the talent of women throughout their organisations,” she said. Previous research shows that women hold only a quarter of leadership and manager roles at renewable energy companies in sub-Saharan Africa.
The latest study synthesises insights from women in the field and presents recommendations for better outcomes, including structured training, mentorship and coaching programs, and transparent pathways to promotion, flexible maternity leave policies and access to female role models.

The Director of Demand Jobs and Livelihoods at GEAPP, Makena Ireri, said, “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,” she added.

This report builds on the September 2023 publication, “Bottlenecks and Breakthroughs: Advancing Gender Equity in African Clean Energy,” which investigated the talent pipeline and recruitment barriers for women entering clean energy jobs, and focuses on workplace challenges that limit women’s advancement and retention once they have entered the sector.
The reports were funded by GEAPP as part of the “Women for Green Jobs” (W4GJ) programme implemented by Shortlist with support from Value for Women with the aim to help more women access and succeed in clean energy careers in Africa.

It specifically targets job placements, career support and employer-level interventions across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Uganda. The programme works with over 40 clean energy companies, including Husk Power, Nuru, Sistema.bio and Sun King, to support their growth by addressing equitable hiring challenges.
The new study 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 programmes 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, it was found that when compared to male peers in the sectors, hourly earnings for men accelerated at a faster pace than women, particularly after the programme intervention.