By Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
The Women in Energy Network (WEIN), an advocacy group for women, has demanded that the incoming administration should ensure a 35 percent inclusion of women in the affairs of the energy sector in Nigeria.
The National President of WEIN, Mrs. Funmi Ogbue, who stated this on Wednesday in Lagos, also explained that this was to enable women to attain great heights in the industry.
Represented at the event by Mrs. Charlotte Essiet, who is a member of WEIN’s Board of Trustees, Ogbue said that women inclusion in the energy sector could be achieved through the creation of policies and initiatives that promote equal opportunities, gender diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.
She also noted that a recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) confirmed that women make up only 22 percent of the energy industry workforce in Nigeria, and only 12 percent of these women occupy senior management roles.
She, therefore, urged the incoming government to support training and mentoring programmes for women in the industry and encourage public, as well as private partnerships that also promote gender diversity in the sector.
According to her, ever since the establishment of the group in 2020, WEIN has been committed to working towards the promotion and advancement of women in the energy sector, and that this was of utmost importance to the Group.