Promoting gender equality and empowerment of women is an important step to address barriers that may hinder the equal participation of women and men working in the clean energy sector. It can also be a lever for fostering environmental sustainability, social inclusivity and economic growth. Despite the evidence that a gender balanced workforce improves decisions, worker satisfaction and most importantly, the bottom line, most energy projects and programs do not consider gender in the design and implementation. Times are finally changing, and more intentional approaches to gender equality in the energy sector are being adopted in policies, projects and programs in both the private and public sector.

This webinar highlighted the steps you might take in developing gender-informed energy infrastructure projects, showcasing groundbreaking work being done in West Africa. The webinar also introduced tools to help guide you in developing progressive policies and regulations. It focused on the different strategies to help close gender gaps in the energy sector and create awareness and understanding of the role of women in the workforce. The presenters aimed to send a strong signal to project developers, investors, policymakers, philanthropists and NGOs to be proactive in valuing the contributions of women and men as they seek new opportunities to expand the clean energy sector across the globe. An insider’s view of how to get this done was offered by practitioners who have led the thinking and the action to spur the expansion of a more inclusive clean energy sector. Additionally, the webinar offered information on the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET), which was formed to empower women working in sustainable energy in both developed and emerging/developing countries at different career levels from both the public and private sector.

This webinar was moderated by Ellen Morris (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) and included the following presentations:

• Making the case for women in the energy workforce: Ms. Denise Mortimer, U.S. Agency for International Development
• A blueprint guide for creating gender sensitive energy policies: Ms. Jennye Greene, Sustainable Energy Solutions
• Operationalizing the ECOWAS Directive on Gender Assessment in Energy Projects: Ms. Monica Maduekwe, ECOWAS Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
• Building supportive energy regulatory frameworks that include gender perspectives: Ms. Kalee Whitehouse, CADMUS Group
• Overview of the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET): Ms. Christine Lins, Executive Director.