Gender diversity drives innovation, opens new pathways for technology deployment, brings valuable perspectives to social and economic development and provides a richer pool of talent for key and emerging industries. In the landscape of global issues requiring strong leadership and a skilled workforce, few areas are as critical as the transition to a sustainable energy system. Yet, as documented in IRENA’s January 2019 report “Renewable Energy: a Gender Perspective,” the renewables industry continues to be male-dominated.

In order to advance the role of women as agents of change in society and promote best practices within the sector, the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) is teaming up with Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) to launch an African mentoring programme for women working in the area of energy access, as part of the People-Centered Accelerator. This programme will focus on women in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and Zambia, whose work is in line with SDG 7, “ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy services.”

The programme is designed to accelerate the careers of women in junior/middle management positions in energy access from all actors of the value chain (e.g. start-ups, utilities etc), support their pathway to leadership positions and foster a global network of mentorship, knowledge-sharing and empowerment. The application criteria are as follows:

  • Must be a national from one of the African countries listed above
  • Must be a woman working in energy access
  • Must work in a junior/middle management position, with min. 2  and max. 10 years of work experience

Furthermore, the mentoring programme is designed around the following key programme parameters:

  • Selection of 15 mentees from the aforementioned four countries
  • 9-month programme duration
  • Comprehensive knowledge-transfer components through a series of webinars
  • Networking and peer-to-peer exchange
  • Mentee attendance at the 2020 SEforALL Forum in Kigali, Rwanda which will take place from 26-28 May 2020

If you fulfil all the application criteria and are interested to apply as a mentee, please fill in the application form.

The deadline for applications is Sunday 27th October 2019

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