The ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) and the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre (EGDC) are pushing for increased participation of women in the energy sector.
According to a statement by ERERA, the resolve was from a three day meeting of ERERA and EGDC officials in Accra, Ghana at the weekend.
At the first joint technical meeting, the agencies developed a framework for collaboration between them. “Specifically, the meeting set out to define the institutional framework for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in the energy sector,” it stated.
They also agreed on implementing the EGDC’s support programme for brilliant and indigent girls through the provision of “scholarships for excellence” or internships with a focus on energy with technical support from ERERA.
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In his remarks, ERERA Regulatory Council Member, Mr. Aly Mar Ndiaye, expressed the hope that the meeting would enable the two institutions to better understand each other, a step which would make their collaboration much easier.
The Director of the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre, Mrs. Sandra Oulate Fattoh, stressed the importance of ECOWAS agencies and institutions to collaborate to harmonize strategies and pool resources to accelerate the involvement, visibility of women and girls in the energy sector.
She also said the EGDC will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, “20 years in the service of gender equity and equality in the region.”