As Africa accelerates its shift toward renewable energy, one crucial question remains: will women have an equal seat at the table in shaping the continent’s green future?
A newly released report by the African Development Bank (AfDB), developed in partnership with The Gambia’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare and financed by the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), argues that the answer must be yes.
The report presents a bold roadmap to ensure that women are no longer viewed merely as beneficiaries of the energy transition but as equal partners, innovators, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers driving The Gambia’s sustainable future.
For Malkiafrica, this is more than an energy story—it is a story about gender equality, economic empowerment, and the future of African women.
Energy Poverty Still Has a Woman’s Face
Despite progress in expanding renewable energy across Africa, access to modern energy remains deeply unequal in The Gambia, with women carrying the greatest burden.
According to the report, nearly 90 percent of Gambian households still rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking, forcing millions of women and girls to spend countless hours collecting fuel while exposing themselves and their families to harmful indoor air pollution.
Access to clean cooking solutions remains extremely limited, with only 1.7 percent of the population using clean cooking fuels and technologies.
Electricity access also reflects significant disparities. Around 85 percent of urban residents have access to electricity, while coverage drops to just 35–40 percent in rural communities, where women farmers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners are often left behind.
These figures demonstrate that energy access is not simply an infrastructure challenge—it is also a matter of social justice and gender equality.
Women Are Still Missing from the Decision-Making Table
Ironically, although women are the primary managers of household energy, they remain largely absent from the institutions responsible for shaping the country’s energy future.
The report reveals that women occupy only about one percent of staff positions at the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), highlighting a significant gender imbalance within the sector.
To better understand these realities, researchers surveyed 279 respondents, of whom 67 percent were women, and complemented the findings with focus group discussions, interviews with key stakeholders, and community radio dialogues across all seven regions of The Gambia.
A Roadmap for an Inclusive Energy Future
The report, Women as Key Partners: A Gender-Transformative Renewable Energy Strategy and Action Plan for The Gambia, outlines an ambitious action plan covering the period 2026 to 2030.
The strategy focuses on five key priorities:
- Strengthening gender-responsive policies and governance;
- Expanding scholarships, vocational training, mentorship, and technical education for women in renewable energy;
- Improving women’s access to finance and investment opportunities;
- Increasing community engagement and public awareness;
- Building stronger national and international partnerships, including revitalizing the Gambia Renewable Energy Centre as a hub for women’s innovation, entrepreneurship, and technical skills.
Together, these actions aim to ensure that women participate at every stage of the renewable energy value chain, from education and entrepreneurship to leadership and policymaking.
Breaking Down the Barriers
While opportunities are growing, the report identifies several structural barriers that continue to limit women’s participation in the renewable energy sector.
Among the most significant challenges are:
- Limited access to finance;
- Restricted access to land and productive resources;
- Insufficient technical and vocational training;
- Limited market opportunities;
- Deep-rooted social and cultural norms;
- Mobility constraints;
- The underrepresentation of girls and women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Removing these obstacles is essential if women are to contribute fully to Africa’s green economy.
Women Are Already Leading Change
The report also highlights inspiring examples of women already transforming the renewable energy landscape in The Gambia.
Across the country, women are leading solar installation cooperatives, producing clean cookstoves, manufacturing environmentally friendly briquettes, and creating businesses that combine economic opportunity with climate action.
These initiatives prove that African women are not simply users of renewable technologies—they are becoming innovators, entrepreneurs, employers, and climate leaders.
AfDB: Gender Equality Is Essential for the Energy Transition
Nathalie Gisabo Gahunga, Manager for Gender and Women’s Empowerment at the African Development Bank, stressed that women must participate equally at every level of the energy transition.
She emphasized that achieving this goal requires investments in education, mentorship, gender-responsive policies, and technologies designed to meet women’s practical needs, particularly in clean cooking and solar energy.
Her message is clear: a successful energy transition cannot happen without women’s full participation.
A National Commitment to Inclusive Development
The Gambian government has also welcomed the report as an important milestone.
Saikou JC Trawally, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, described the study as a major step toward a more sustainable and environmentally friendly energy future.
He called on government institutions, the private sector, civil society organizations, and development partners to work together in building an inclusive renewable energy framework that responds to the country’s unique realities.
Similarly, Foday Sanyang from the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy reaffirmed the government’s commitment to mainstreaming gender across all energy projects, recognizing that women and men experience energy challenges differently and therefore require inclusive policy solutions.
The Malkiafrica Perspective
Africa’s renewable energy revolution must be powered not only by solar panels, wind turbines, and innovative technologies—it must also be powered by women.
Across the continent, women remain the backbone of household energy management, community resilience, and local entrepreneurship. Yet too often, they are excluded from the decisions, investments, and opportunities shaping the future of energy.
The Gambia’s new strategy offers a powerful reminder that gender equality is not an optional addition to climate action—it is one of its strongest foundations.
When women gain equal access to education, financing, technology, and leadership opportunities, they do more than accelerate the green transition. They strengthen economies, improve family well-being, drive innovation, and build more resilient communities.
At Malkiafrica, we believe that Africa’s clean energy future will be brighter when its women are recognized not merely as beneficiaries, but as leaders, innovators, and equal architects of sustainable development.
Because Africa’s greatest renewable resource has always been the strength, resilience, and leadership of its women.
SEO
Meta Title: The Gambia: AfDB Calls for Women to Lead the Renewable Energy Transition
Meta Description: A new African Development Bank report urges The Gambia to recognize women as equal partners in its renewable energy transition through better education, financing, leadership, and inclusive policies.
Focus Keywords: The Gambia, African Development Bank, AfDB, women empowerment, renewable energy, gender equality, clean energy, Africa, sustainable development, women leadership, climate action, Malkiafrica.
