Based on a shared vision to promote women and youth in Africa’s energy sector, Renewable Energy Solutions for Africa Foundation (RES4Africa) and Ethiopian Women in Energy (EWiEn) signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

The African energy sector needs women and young people. This sentiment prompted the two organisations to collaborate in the participation and co-organisation of events and capacity building opportunities.

The MoU will also deliver on engagement and dialogue with African entities, international institutions and sectoral stakeholders operating in the promotion of gender balance and women and youth participation. The parties are committed to identifying synergies, exchanging know-how and organising outreach and advocacy activities to raise awareness.

Why focus on women and youth in energy?

The main objective is to join efforts in supporting empowerment and participation of women and young people in the continent’s clean power industries.

Filagot Tesfaye, President of EWiEn, commented: “Energy is a right for all and clean and affordable energy is the most needed. However, energy in developing nations takes a different narrative, while women being the primary victims of energy poverty.

He added: “EWiEn with its partnership with RES4Africa, will advocate the role of women as change agents, not only as consumers of clean energy, so that to secure the gender balance in the sector.”

“Women empowerment and youth participation are not only a mandatory condition but also a strong enabler to achieve the SDG7 and to guarantee universal access to energy by 2030,” said Roberto Vigotti, RES4Africa’s Secretary-General.

Vigotti continued: “The partnership with EWiEn, an Ethiopian association that strongly believes in the need of bringing women and young people at the heart of the energy landscape, will help RES4Africa pursuing its mission: to transform Africa’s energy sector, making sure no one is left behind.”

Serving a purposeful mission

RES4Africa’s mission is to create an enabling environment for renewable energy investments in African countries to meet local energy needs for sustainable growth, while EWiEn strives to connect and empower Ethiopian women working in the energy sector.

Together, the parties’ goals are highly complementary and pursue the same long-term objective to promote the development of renewable energy solutions in Africa.

The signing of the agreement marks an important opportunity in the development process of the renewable sector, whose stakeholders in recent years have recognized the growing need to involve more young people and women to ensure a local inclusive development.