Country specific analysis of gender and renewable energy in Africa
Empowering women is a significant factor in achieving a sustainable world
While the renewables sector in Africa and Asia Pacific report 33% female participation, this number sits at 27% in Europe and North America. But, a country-specific breakdown presents a very stark picture of low levels of meaningful participation in Africa.
The African Development Bank (AfDB), with support from the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) under the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program (SREP), has developed a series of Country Diagnostic Studies on Gender and Renewable Energy for Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Lesotho, Madagascar and Malawi.
These studies are meant to strengthen the integration of gender equality in national energy strategies by identifying key barriers, opportunities and entry points for inclusive and sustainable energy transitions.
Each country diagnostic provides in-depth analysis and actionable recommendations to guide policy, investment and programme design—helping to advance women’s participation, leadership and access to finance in the renewable energy sector.
As the executive summary for the Lesotho report points out: “Because of its multi-disciplinary dimension, the renewable energy field exerts an appeal on women that the fossil fuel industry has lacked. Empowering women is a significant factor in achieving a sustainable world, as it not only contributes to women’s self-development and status in society, but it is also an issue of social justice.”
Lesotho
While the country has enormous renewables potential, it still relies heavily on fossil fuel imports and electricity demand exceeds generational capacity. Though access to electricity is found to be crucial for the adoption of clean energy fuels within households and the country has a five year plan to promoting the uptake of renewables, its national constitution does not explicitly specify women’s role in society.
“Evidence has shown that Lesotho has a long way to go to bridge gender equality and promote women’s economic empowerment compared with South Africa and Namibia. The country has both challenges and opportunities to be appreciated for it to make progress.”
Ghana
National connection rates in the West African country sit at around 86.63%, up from 58% a decade ago. In urban areas this is inching closer to 95%, but around 5 million citizens in poor remote areas are still unelectrified.
Service reliability and affordability challenges are ongoing, highlighting the need to continue investing in grid extensions and off-grid solutions. But, women’s access to clean, affordable energy and productive energy services “remains constrained by persistent gender inequalities embedded in social, economic, and institutional systems.”
While Ghana’s renewable energy sector holds significant potential, progress has been limited. “Women represent only 21% of jobs in the energy sector, often in administrative or non-technical roles, mirroring figures from Kenya and Uganda and lower than South Africa’s 31% within its utility workforce.”
Sociocultural biases and perceptions around energy roles as “men’s work” discourage women from participating while discrimination and harassment in workplaces limit advancement.
Malawi
Malawi faces one of the highest rates of energy poverty globally – 25.9% of the population had access to electricity as at end of 2024. Approximately 56.5% of urban households are connected to the national grid and 3.8% of rural households.
These numbers have a profound implication for socio-economic development, especially for women and girls in rural areas considering they are the primary producers and consumers of energy. Over 90% of households depend on unsustainably sourced biomass for cooking creating severe health risks which primarily affect women and children.
But, women are not only victims – they can be key agents of change as the primary managers of household energy and trusted community members.
Despite the potential, women remain underrepresented and underserved in Malawi’s energy transition, both from the employment and decision-making perspective. Still, Malawi presents strong potential to advance gender equality through its renewable energy transition as the government has recognised the importance of linking energy development with gender equality through policy.
Mali
Mali’s energy sector faces persistent structural and socioeconomic challenges – while urban electricity access stands at 86.6%, only 30.4% of rural households have access, highlighting deep spatial inequalities.
Reliance on oil production inflates costs and increases vulnerability to fuel price fluctuations, compounding challenges such as systemic weaknesses in T&D infrastructure, rising demand, frequent outage and minimal service quality – all limiting productive use of energy. Access to clean cooking remains extremely low at 1.2%.
Women’s participation in the energy sector remains severely limited because of deep-rooted gender inequalities. Although they represent 54% of the workforce, they hold less than 30% of engineering and technical positions and accounted for only 5.6% of business ownership in 2022, compared to 12.3% for men.
Promoting renewable energy entrepreneurship, particularly among women, is crucial for inclusive economic development, resilience, and adaptation to climate change. A gender-responsive policy environment based on inclusive finance, education and land rights is necessary to unlock this potential.
Liberia
Liberia has made gradual progress in improving electricity access – 31.8% of the population is connected. Households primarily rely on charcoal and biomass fuels, with women bearing the burden of energy production and consumption. The country’s electricity infrastructure remains inadequate, with urban access at less than 50% and rural access at below 10%.
Women play an active role in entrepreneurship, with the potential to play an even broader role in renewable energy. “However, they are disproportionately self-employed and engaged in precarious work (91% of working women are own-account workers or unpaid family workers, compared to 68% of men).”
Renewable energy presents a substantial opportunity for female entrepreneurs to boost their income and enhance economic resilience, as part of the value chain and as energy users, but barriers limit participation.
A key obstacle is restricted access to financing, worsened by high collateral requirements and banking sector lending rates that average 12.4%. Deeply entrenched gender norms and stereotypes surrounding women’s and men’s roles continue to constrain women’s entry and advancement in high-growth energy sectors, as entrepreneurs and part of the formal energy workforce.
Madagascar
The national electrification is 36%, but only 7% in rural areas. The country relies heavily on biomass—firewood, charcoal, and dung—making up 85% of its energy mix.
Madagascar has immense renewable energy potential but these remain underexploited due to structural barriers in financing, policy and infrastructure.
Scaling up renewable energy initiatives is essential not only for economic diversification but also for gender inclusion, as clean energy technologies could alleviate the burdens women face due to their reliance on biomass.
Strengthening partnerships with the private sector and educational institutions to develop specialised training programmes in the installation, maintenance and repair of renewable energy would provide women with essential technical skills. Madagascar is at a crucial juncture where renewable energy could serve as a catalyst for gender equality and sustainable development.
Cover photo: Women doing laundy in the Simien Mountains, Ethiopia. Source: artush©123rf
