Bolivia is facing an energy crisis marked by shortages of diesel and petrol, and by high energy costs. For small and medium-sized rural family-based enterprises (SMEs), which play a central role in food production and in sustaining rural livelihoods, this situation increases operating costs, affects productive continuity and limits competitiveness, especially in territories with limited energy access.
In this context, Decentralised Renewable Energy Systems (DRES) represent an alternative for improving energy security and strengthening productive processes in rural areas. However, their inclusive potential depends on how the benefits associated with their installation and use are distributed, particularly from a gender perspective.
This report analyses five pilot intervention and research cases addressed by the GENERIS project in fish farming and the processing of Amazonian and tropical fruits in Pando, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. The results show significant energy savings, productive improvements and new opportunities for women’s participation in the everyday use of the systems. At the same time, barriers are identified relating to the organisation of work, access to technical knowledge, decision-making and trust in projects, which shape the extent of these benefits and present challenges for future scaling.
The experience observed in the cases analysed shows clear impacts. In fish farming enterprises, solar energy made it possible to guarantee continuous oxygenation of the ponds, reducing losses and improving growth times. In the processing of Amazonian fruits, the availability of more stable energy made it possible to keep refrigerators running continuously, avoid losses and reduce electricity bills by approximately 30%. The reduced dependence on fossil fuels not only lowered costs, but also brought greater predictability to income.
From the perspective of the women interviewed, these changes reduced the uncertainty associated with potential productive losses and generated greater economic stability. In some cases, the savings were used to cover basic expenses; in others, they were reinvested in productive improvements or in early-stage initiatives to diversify production.
One of the most valued changes was the reduction in the time and effort spent buying petrol. This “freed-up time” eased the daily workload, especially for women, who often took on much of this work. However, the study shows that the time saved did not translate into a redistribution of domestic and care work. In many cases, it was simply absorbed into other domestic or productive tasks.
Improved energy availability also affected household wellbeing: greater access to night-time lighting, constant refrigeration, use of fans and, in some cases, internet connectivity. These changes expanded educational opportunities and helped reduce digital gaps in rural contexts.
The installation of DRES opened up opportunities for women and young people to participate more actively in everyday tasks such as switching on, monitoring or cleaning the systems. However, gaps remain in access to specialised knowledge.
Training tends to be concentrated among men and is mostly delivered in Spanish, even though some territories have populations who speak Indigenous languages. As observed in some cases, this may have contributed to more limited participation by women in training processes and in their access to technical knowledge.
Therefore, while women’s operational participation increased, strategic decisions about technical adjustments, expansions or contact with installers continued to remain mostly in the hands of men. The gap between everyday use and decision-making control remains a challenge.
The study identifies two central factors for the sustainability of DRES: building trust and access to financing.
Initial acceptance of the systems was shaped by doubts and previous failed experiences with other projects. In contexts where technical knowledge is limited, trust in institutions and in those implementing projects becomes decisive.
In terms of financing, women face structural barriers. Although financial inclusion has grown in Bolivia, the country continues to have one of the highest gaps in the region: only 11% of women are adequately included in the formal financial system. This limits their ability to access productive credit and invest in energy equipment.
The testimonies collected show concrete differences in credit approval between men and women, even when both carry out similar productive activities. These barriers shape the extent of the benefits of the energy transition.
Decentralised Renewable Energy Systems have proven to be an effective tool for reducing energy vulnerabilities, improving productive continuity and raising quality of life in Bolivian rural SMEs and households.
However, their transformative potential does not depend solely on their technical performance. To maximise their inclusive impact, it is necessary to explicitly integrate a gender perspective into training, financing mechanisms and technical support strategies.
The rural energy transition is not only a technological process. It is also a social process. And its success will depend on energy solutions advancing hand in hand with transformations in the gender dynamics that structure production and everyday life in the territories.
Learn more about the benefits, opportunities and challenges for women in the case studies in Bolivia by downloading the report.
Women Deliver is one of the most important global conferences on gender equality, justice and collective action. It brings together activists, researchers, policymakers, funders and organisations from around the world to discuss and build collective responses to the challenges affecting the lives of women and girls.
In this context, the panel “Reimagining Diverse Care Infrastructures for Just and Feminist Futures” created space for important conversations about what is being done today to support care through both social and physical infrastructure. The session started from a central idea: care can no longer be seen as a private, invisible or naturalised issue. Care sustains everyday life, families, communities and the economy, yet it continues to fall disproportionately on women. From this perspective, the panel brought together different experiences to reflect on what is already being done and what is still needed to build care support systems that are more just, inclusive and sustainable.
One of the most valuable contributions of this space was that it brought together projects from Africa Cares Together (ACT CoP) and Clean Energy for Development initiative (CEDCA), connecting two agendas that often move forward separately: on the one hand, conversations on the care economy, unpaid work and community networks; and on the other, conversations on clean energy transitions, financing, innovation and physical infrastructure.
Too often, clean energy transitions are presented mainly as technological or climate solutions: a question of access, coverage, efficiency or emissions reduction. However, the panel made visible that energy also shapes everyday life. It can reduce drudgery, save time, lower risks and make certain tasks linked to care and sustaining life less burdensome. When this happens, energy stops being only a technical issue and begins to function as a tool that supports care and improves quality of life.
The experience of the Renouveau FJ project in Senegal showed in a very concrete way how an energy transition can also be understood through the lens of care. If we want to build truly just transitions, it is not enough to talk about new technologies, access to finance or services. It is also necessary to ask how life is sustained every day, under what conditions, with what forms of support and at what cost. This is an especially important question when we speak about women who not only face barriers to accessing information about clean energy and financing tailored to their needs, but also face an overload of unpaid care work, lack of time and household power dynamics that limit their ability to decide, invest and adapt.
At present, the project is generating evidence on the conditions needed for energy transitions to become more inclusive and more sensitive to care in women’s everyday lives. Its initial findings show that the barriers are not only economic or technical. They also include time poverty, unpaid care work, limited access to finance, low awareness of renewable technologies and household power dynamics that restrict women’s ability to decide, invest and benefit from these solutions.
What makes this experience especially valuable is that it does not stop at identifying barriers. It is also testing concrete responses, such as training in business management, financial education, climate resilience and women’s leadership, together with work on shared responsibility within the household. This approach offers an important lesson: if energy transitions are to truly benefit women and youth, it is not enough to make technologies available. It is also necessary to strengthen capacities, expand access to useful information, create conditions for informed decision-making and challenge the inequalities that limit the use and benefits of these solutions.
Reimagining the energy transition through a care and gender lens is a necessary condition for building transitions that are more human, inclusive and truly just.
The GENERIS project, partners of Clean Energy for Development: A Call to Action (CEDCA), explores how decentralised renewable energy can support micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), local livelihoods and inclusive energy transitions in Bolivia.
Recent outputs from the project highlight the role of renewable energy in productive use, gender inclusion and sustainable development, drawing on research conducted across rural and peri-urban contexts.
Blog: Decentralized renewable energy for rural SMEs in Bolivia: benefits, opportunities and challenges for women
This blog explores how decentralised renewable energy systems, particularly solar, are being used by rural businesses to reduce costs, improve reliability and support income generation. It also highlights ongoing challenges, including gender gaps in access to finance, technical knowledge and decision-making.
Special Issue: Journal Boliviano de Ciencias
This peer-reviewed Special Issue brings together research developed by GENERIS partners, based on data collected throughout the project. The articles examine decentralised renewable energy, productive development, gender and environmental sustainability in Bolivia.
Featured articles include:
Together, these outputs demonstrate the importance of locally grounded research in shaping more inclusive and sustainable energy transitions.
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are the main engine of economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The transition to a green economy represents both an environmental necessity and a significant economic opportunity for the region. However, without an intentional focus on gender, this transformation risks reinforcing existing inequalities, rather than dismantling them.
Women in the region remain underrepresented in employment, leadership and entrepreneurship — especially in the clean energy and MSME sectors, which are key to the green transition. To address this gap, the Economic Research Forum (ERF), with support from IDRC, is providing the first baseline survey synthesis across six diverse MENA countries — Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and Sudan — highlighting both shared challenges and country-specific contexts.
Women’s participation in the labour force in the region is just 18.8%, one of the lowest rates in the world, even though many women attain equal or higher educational levels than men. This means their skills are being overlooked, reflecting not only gender disparities but also missed economic opportunities, especially in green industries. In renewable energy, only 7-9% of the workforce in the MENA region are women, compared to 32% globally. The IDRC-supported research shows why women should be seen not just as passive beneficiaries but as active drivers of green economic growth, especially in MSMEs.
Climate change impacts in the region — such as water scarcity, heat waves and food insecurity — affect women more given they already have less access to resources, finance and decision-making spaces. This research situates gender equality within broader climate action frameworks, showing that women’s leadership and entrepreneurship are essential for a just and inclusive energy transition.
By linking gender equality to clean energy adoption, MSME growth and climate resilience, the research highlights how these areas work together toward sustainable development and supports the need for policies that are gender responsive.
The study uses five comparable survey datasets and six country-specific interview datasets, helping to fill a major evidence gap in data about MSMEs, the energy transition and the role of women. While other low- and middle-income regions have gender-focused energy research, the MENA region is still lacking, especially when it comes to women’s role in the informal economy and small-scale energy entrepreneurship. This research compiles fragmented data, identifies where knowledge is missing and proposes targeted areas for further investigation to enable women’s participation in more advanced roles, better-paying skilled jobs and more profitable areas of the renewable energy sector.
As the project’s principal investigator, Atif Kubursi, explained, to move from intention to impact, “[t]he real challenge now is about surmounting barriers, accessing finance, building the requisite infrastructure, developing the needed skills, energizing the private sector through the engagement of MSMEs and aligning public policy and the governance systems to speed and deepen the transition.”
This blog was originally shared on the IDRC website, available here.
Agriculture continues to represent a critical source of foreign exchange and job creation throughout the Global South. The future growth and development of the sector depend on farmers, processors and traders finding innovative ways to produce more and better-quality products or to reduce costs, without harming the natural resource base. Renewable energy — in particular, decentralized solar-powered systems — can help lower energy costs and reduce carbon emissions for farmers who currently rely on fossil fuels to power pumps and move goods or to cook, dry and cool products.
Solar power is already advancing energy goals in the Global South. In Africa, partnerships between development banks, energy companies and NGOs are focusing on expanding this technology for households, businesses, schools and hospitals. For example, the World Bank announced a USD2.7 billion (CAD3.8 billion) investment to bring electricity to about 40 million people on the continent by 2030. In Latin America, solar power forms an important part of official efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, yet the strategies to use these systems in agriculture are still limited and understudied.
Research from an IDRC-supported project in Bolivia shows that solar-powered systems can make fish farming more affordable and productive, helping farmers reduce energy costs and improve output. But the study also highlights major barriers that limit wider adoption. These gaps mean that while the technology has clear benefits, scaling it up will require stronger markets, better information and more accessible financing.
To expand solar power into the agricultural sector, it’s important to consider the energy requirements of farmers and owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the challenges they face in adopting this technology and the solutions that might help. It’s also important to consider how farmers and business owners differ in their energy needs and access based on factors like gender, age and income.
So far, most research has focused on how solar-powered generation systems work and what benefits they hold for farmers — such as improved irrigation, water pumping and greenhouse operations. Research has also confirmed the technical and economic viability of the systems, with applications ranging from solar-powered rickshaws for transport to smart rooftop irrigation systems.
However, less attention has been given to whether women, youth and Indigenous farmers and SME owners in rural areas can access these systems. Expanding solar power in agriculture depends on various actors, including sellers, regulators, utility providers and financial institutions. Unlike household solar-powered systems, agricultural set-ups are larger, costlier and more complex, while regulatory frameworks and business strategies for rural deployment remain underdeveloped.
To support renewable energy access for disadvantaged populations in the Global South, IDRC launched the Clean Energy for Development: A Call for Action (CEDCA) initiative in 2023. In Bolivia, a CEDCA project explored how solar power could improve small-scale agriculture and advance Bolivia’s transition towards renewable energy.
In Chapare, Bolivia, fish farming is expanding and now supports the livelihoods of around 3,000 families. Because fish ponds are often located near homes, women and youth can easily participate. As regional production increases, these families are under pressure to increase productivity. At the same time, they are struggling with limited access to the gasoline required to run the generators for pumps and oxygenators. Due to Bolivia’s energy crisis, even buying a few gallons of gasoline can mean queuing for hours at filling stations for subsidized fuel, or paying three times the cost on the black market.
Ongoing research by Fundacion Bariloche and Immersive Consulting shows that on-grid solar-powered generation systems could help fish farmers reduce costs and improve productivity.
The teams interviewed dozens of fish farmers, bank representatives, government officials, solar industry representatives and fish sellers, and installed solar-powered generation systems (1.5-2.5 Kw) at three farms. Installation costs around CAD3,400 per kilowatt and farmers had to cover extra infrastructure expenses like power poles and wiring, adding more than 30% to the total cost. By switching to solar, farmers save around 1,600 liters of gasoline over a 10-month production period — cutting production costs by about CAD2,500. Longer aeration periods also allowed them to raise about 20% more fish per pond. The combination of savings in production expenses and increased productivity allows farmers to recover investment costs in relatively short periods (2-4 years).
However, the project revealed important challenges to scaling solar power to thousands of fish farmers in Chapare. The market is still developing. There are few suppliers and they are located hours away and focused on larger-scale urban-based clients, such as schools and hospitals. These sellers lack information about farmers’ needs and have little incentive to serve rural areas. While farmers showed strong interest during project-supported demonstration events, many were discouraged by the high up-front costs. Local banks have not introduced financing options and, two years after the case studies began, farmers still can’t sell extra solar energy back to the grid — limiting both economic and environmental benefits.
Credit: IDRC
Early evidence from Bolivia reaffirms the benefits of solar-power systems for small-scale fish farming households: access to solar-powered irrigation pumps and pond oxygenators reduce costs, free up time and reduce contamination. These experiences also show that simply demonstrating the technology is not enough to make a big impact. The potential for impact rests on thousands of farmers in Chapare, and elsewhere in Bolivia, being informed about solar-powered systems and being able to purchase, maintain and repair them. In this sense, scaling solar-powered systems and empowering women farmers and entrepreneurs as agents of change will require clear strategies and coordinated efforts related to governance, market development and capacity building.
Looking ahead, there is an opportunity for researchers to work with stakeholders to help shape policies that support the wider use of solar power in rural areas. Priorities for future research include:
This blog was originally shared on the IDRC website on 1 December 2025.
Recently, the Innovate for Clean Powered Agro Technologies (INFoCAT) project held two events in Ghana and Senegal, to showcase and pilot clean technology solutions that have been developed by young Agritech Innovators. Each new technology was developed to address challenges faced by smallholder women farmers and agro-processors.
Credit: UNU-INRA
The piloting programme was to show the creativity and problem-solving capabilities of young green innovators who have designed context-appropriate clean technologies to enhance agricultural productivity, expand access to clean energy, reduce drudgery, and promote climate resilience among smallholder farmers and post-harvest crop processors. The machines are powered by clean energy.
From 26th to 29th August 2025, the innovations developed by young Agritech innovators were piloted in Namesi -Yilo Krobo District of Ghana’s Eastern Region, Aveyime in the North Tongu District of Volta Region, Gomoa East District in the Central Region.
Credit: UNU-INRA
Om 17th and 18th July, innovations were also piloted in Senegal’s Bambèye (Diourbel region), Toubacouta (Fatick region), Taïba Niassène (Kaolack region), and Gapakh (Kaolack region).
Cote D’Ivoire will be subsequently piloting their clean agritech innovations in the coming months.
Credit: UNU-INRA
Prior to this piloting stage, innovators (10 in Ghana, 5 in Senegal and 5 in Cote D’Ivoire), who were shortlisted as part of the INFoCAT Innovation Challenge, won an initial grant of $7,400. Subsequently, they went through a series of meetings with smallholders and industry experts to fine-tune their initial agritech innovations to make them more efficient for farmers and agro-processors. A key element of these innovations is also the renewable energy component. Agricultural and renewable energy experts have coached these young innovators throughout the process of fine tuning these machinery, to make them more environmentally friendly.
After this piloting stage and rigorous appraisal of the innovations, 3 of these innovators (1 from Ghana, 1 from Senegal and 1 from Cote D’Ivoire) will be selected. These winners will receive a sum of $37,00 to scale up their innovations/businesses.
UNU-INRA’s INFOCAT (Innovate for Clean Agricultural Technologies) is an initiative funded by International Development Research Center (IDRC) under the Clean Energy for Development: A Call for Action initiative (CEDCA). INFoCAT implemented in Ghana, Senegal, and Cote d’Ivoire. Project Partners are Enda Energie (Senegal) and UNU-INRA operating Unit (Cote D’Ivoire).
The overall goal of the project is to advance women’s and youth economic empowerment in rural areas of selected African countries by promoting low-cost, clean, energy-powered technology solutions that increase agricultural productivity and income for smallholder rural farmers.
In the heart of the Bolivian tropics, fish farming has become a key activity for diversifying livelihoods in rural communities. In these communities, women play an active role in family-based production, integrating fish farming tasks into their daily routines. Yet their contributions often go unrecognised.
This reality intersects with structural challenges linked to climate change, gender inequality, and limited access to clean technologies. The GENERIS Project seeks to address these gaps through a just energy transition that recognises women’s work, amplifies their voices, and promotes equitable solutions.
Credit: GENERIS Team
The community of Mariposas, located in the municipality of Puerto Villarroel, Cochabamba, illustrates how climate change and forced migration have reshaped rural life in Bolivia. Prolonged droughts in the highland valleys forced many farming families to migrate to tropical areas, where fertile land and greater water availability opened new possibilities. In this context, fish farming emerged as a viable alternative for subsistence.
“There was no life anymore, no rain, you see?… there was no harvest, no corn, no wheat, no peas,” recalls a member of the Primero de Mayo Fish Farming Association.
This group brings together 73 producers, nearly half of them women, who have rebuilt their livelihoods through aquaculture. However, women continue to face multiple barriers to participating on equal terms.
Women in Mariposas play a crucial role in fish farming. From monitoring oxygen and pH levels in the water to feeding the fish and cleaning the ponds, their work is constant. They also organise sales at local fairs and actively participate in the association.
Yet their contributions are often viewed as merely “helping” their husbands or as an extension of domestic work, especially since many ponds are located close to the household. This perception limits their access to technical training and reduces their involvement in decision-making spaces.
“In the morning, I have to send my little ones to school, cook, check on the fish… see if they need salt, lime… that kind of thing. I help my husband because he works more in the chaco [fields],” says one woman. This testimony reflects the double work burden – productive and reproductive – that sustains family economies.
Credit: GENERIS Team
Traditionally, it is men who access technical training in aquaculture, which limits women’s autonomy in an activity they know and carry out daily.
To counter this imbalance, GENERIS, together with the organization Fish for Life, organised a workshop specifically for women fish farmers from the community. The training, delivered in both Spanish and Quechua to ensure the participation of older women, focused not only on technical skills but also on recognising and valuing women’s roles in the production chain.
One of the main technical challenges in fish farming is pond oxygenation. Currently, this process relies on gasoline-powered pumps, which entail high economic and environmental costs. Families often face difficulties accessing this fuel and must turn to the informal market.
To address this, the GENERIS project launched a pilot programme in two fish farms in Mariposas, replacing fuel-powered pumps with solar-powered electric oxygenators (based on Distributed Renewable Energy Generation Systems). This solution reduces operating costs and marks a step toward more sustainable production.
However, the energy transition must also tackle the structural inequalities that limit women’s access to key resources. In Bolivia, 80% of women over the age of 20 do not have access to financial services (World Bank, 2023). Only 16% of credit provided to women is directed toward sectors like agriculture, livestock, or related fields (UN Women, 2022).
In Mariposas, these figures are reflected in lived experiences. Women fish farmers describe the difficulties of financing even basic investments: “You have to pay someone to dig, the tractor operator, sometimes for two or three days… where do we get the money? There is none,” says one producer. Another recalls that they had to take out loans to build the ponds: “It’s really hard to do it all at once.”
These stories show that access to clean technologies must be accompanied by policies and conditions that enable women to take ownership of them. It is also essential to provide appropriate technical training. If women and young people are not trained, or if the equipment requires physical strength, there is a risk of reproducing existing exclusions.
That is why GENERIS is working to generate evidence and recommendations for public and private actors to promote more inclusive and sustainable energy policies.
In Mariposas, as in many rural communities, technological change advances through observation and shared experience. This is how fish farming spread: initially, only a few families dared to build ponds and raise fish, but when others saw the results, they followed suit. This replication effect could also be applied to renewable energy – so long as access is equitable and adapted to the local context.
The adoption of these technologies must ensure that all individuals involved, women and men, young people and adults, have equal opportunities for participation, decision-making, financing, and equipment use. Only then will it be possible to move toward a more just, sustainable, and inclusive future.
As global challenges in clean energy adoption intensify, a compelling conversation unfolded during a virtual panel event, “Powering Change: Women, Youth, and the Clean Energy Revolution,” bringing to the forefront the urgent need to prioritise gender and youth inclusion in the clean energy transition.
This event was hosted as an official side event for the T20. The Think20 (T20) is the official engagement group of the G20, bringing together leading think tanks and research centres worldwide. It serves as the ‘ideas bank’ of the G20 and aims to provide research-based policy recommendations to the G20 leaders. This event brought together researchers from across the globe who are part of the Clean Energy for Development: A Call to Action (CEDCA) initiative, funded by the International Development Research Centre, to discuss the challenges and suggest key policy priority areas for action.
Women and youth continue to face significant barriers in participating in renewable energy value chains, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and the MENA region, which are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. A lack of access to education, financing, and networks, coupled with entrenched gender roles and cultural norms, hampers their full involvement in the energy transformation. As the global demand for clean energy grows, so too does the potential for women and youth to play a pivotal role in fostering innovation, driving job creation, and ensuring environmental sustainability.
The event highlighted the transformative potential of renewable energy, which not only promises environmental and health benefits but also offers untapped economic opportunities, particularly for women and youth. By addressing systemic barriers like limited access to financing and technology, participants emphasised the need for targeted policies that enable inclusive economic growth. In countries like Senegal, for example, where renewable energy targets are set to reach 40% by 2030, there is a critical need to engage women and youth in the value chain to accelerate this transition. With 43% of rural households lacking access to electricity, supporting clean energy adoption through microfinance, training, and entrepreneurship opportunities is essential.
The G20 process, a vital forum for global economic cooperation, stands to benefit from the insights shared in this panel. The discussion underscored the importance of evidence-based policy recommendations that emphasise the role of women and youth in the clean energy sector. As highlighted, every dollar invested in renewable energy creates three times more jobs than one invested in fossil fuels, making it imperative for G20 countries to prioritise investments in green technologies that support economic empowerment for marginalised groups.
A focus on clean cooking technologies, solar installations, and energy efficiency retrofitting has already proven to create job and entrepreneurship opportunities for women and youth. However, to scale these efforts, there is a need for continued research and innovation, as well as capacity-building initiatives that prepare women and youth for the high-skill roles in the renewable energy sector.
The research findings shared during the event point to clear pathways for policy adaptation: ensuring access to finance, providing STEM education, and removing institutional and cultural barriers are fundamental to increasing participation in the energy transition. As nations like Senegal look to expand access to clean energy, aligning these efforts with G20 priorities for sustainable development and inclusive growth is crucial for a just transition.
The panel also discussed the importance of collaboration among governments, private sector actors, and academia to scale the solutions identified. It is not just about creating jobs but also ensuring that the workforce is adequately trained, and policies are designed to be gender-sensitive and inclusive.
The outcomes and recommendations from this event will be considered for integration into the T20 high level recommendations to the G20. By embedding these considerations into the G20 process, member countries can take a more proactive role in advancing policies that ensure clean energy becomes a tool for both environmental and socio-economic justice. As we approach key milestones in global climate agreements, it is clear that the integration of women and youth into the clean energy value chain is no longer optional—it is a necessity for a sustainable and equitable future.
Energy access should open opportunities at both ends of the energy equation for it to fulfil its transformative potential
This article was written by Erin Tansey and Flaubert Mbiekop from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). It draws on insights from IDRC’s funded Clean Energy for Development: A Call to Action (CEDCA) initiative. The initiative aims to inform policy reforms and business strategies leading to transformative change across societies through applied research for inclusive and people-centred energy transitions.
On 12-13 March 2025, Sustainable Energy for All and the Government of Barbados co-hosted the 2025 SEforALL Global Forum in Bridgetown under the theme “Sustainable Energy for Equity, Security and Prosperity.” This year’s Forum focused on catalysing the actions and investment needed for countries to achieve their energy access, climate and development goals. Lots of major, sizable investment announcements were made, indeed. And new incomers into this impressive gathering of key stakeholders in the (clean) energy space will for sure be impressed by the line up of speakers from top governments’ officials, private sector heavyweights, donor agencies’ senior managers, civil society organizations’ rising stars, award-wining innovators and Ivy league schools’ students.
Bridgetown was certainly testimony of the huge potential that the energy sector represents from a developmental perspective but also from an investment and business standpoint: Insightful discussions on the energy challenge still facing hundreds of millions of people across the globe and especially in Africa with over 600 million out of the estimated 800 million people globally without access to energy living in Africa (World Bank, 2024), discussions on political will and national strategies, investment commitments worth hundreds of millions of dollars, partnership and collaboration negotiations and agreements, job and internship hunting, and more. Harnessing all the magic and energy of the conference venue in Bridgetown would very likely translate into tangible and visible realisations on the ground, from new power plants to new solar energy farms and what else.
It was strikingly refreshing to see the level of collaboration and interdependency in the (clean) energy space with follow up to conversations that started at the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in Tanzania, IRENA holding a session on their joint work with SE4ALL on energy planning in support to national governments in developing countries, Brazil designated COP president reflecting on the future of climate action in an era of protectionism and geo-political tensions at a fireside chat with a just as knowledgeable journalist from Bloomberg, Sierra Leonne’s sitting President and Nigeria’s former vice president reflecting on Africa’s expectations and ambitions with regards to energy access for their people before flying to Addis Abeba for an important African Union Summit.
Ensuring that healthcare centres in Freetown operate on affordable, reliable energy cannot only be life-saving but also fulfilling for the medical staff. Ensuring that street vending women in Nigeria’s Enugu can safely store their fresh goods without fearing a power outage is for sure empowering. Lighting houses in Nairobi’s slums or in remote areas of Tanzania undoubtedly improves school-goers’ learning outcomes and prospects.
However, with only five years left to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals, time is of the essence, and focusing only on the access end of the (clean) energy equation may not be transformative enough. Far too many people may still be living in extreme poverty by 2030. Far too many people may still lack decent jobs by 2030.
The notion of people-centered energy transitions championed by Canada’s International development research centre and the International energy agency amongst others is an invitation to think beyond energy for all and to embrace a holistic approach to inclusion where energy is by all and for all. As the world transitions to a low-carbon path, the energy transition is reshaping labour markets and economies in ways that are generating opportunities for some but threatening the livelihood of others. This structural economic shift involves not only changes in human and capital resource allocation and mobilisation, but also drives new patterns of economic development, job creation, and unemployment. Past economic structural transformations have demonstrated that reallocating the workforce from declining to emerging industries or sectors can be disruptive and lead to socioeconomic unrest if not properly managed. This, in turn, can derail the entire process as capital seeks a haven elsewhere.
At stake, therefore, is not just energy access, but also the mechanics of it. For many developing countries, the global energy transition presents an opportunity to increase generation, access, and productive use, while also delivering job-intensive green industrialisation, thereby supporting climate action. There are compelling reasons to be interested in the industrial and labour implications of the transition, particularly in light of calls for a just energy transition as part of a broader just transition of the global economy (Institute of Economic Justice, forthcoming). The just transition has provided a critical lens through which to consider and interrogate the goals, mechanisms, processes, and outcomes of the global ‘sustainable’ energy transition in the Global South. Understanding the complex set of actors and relationships involved in production processes, which are vertically disaggregated and geographically dispersed, can help unpack the potential for social upgrading through the localisation of various productive processes in the clean energy economy. The actions of firms, states, workers, and civil society can hence be connected.
With these considerations in mind, visionary investors sharing the stage with policy makers, labour unions and MSMEs promoters in the (clean) energy value chain stand significant chances of triggering transformative dialogues that can eventually set the world on the path to meeting more of the SDGs in a timely manner.
This article was reposted from andeglobal.org. Improving Outcomes for Women-led Clean Energy Enterprises Through Applied Research is one of 12 research projects which make up The Clean Energy for Development: A Call to Action (CEDCA) initiative.
Despite making up 39 percent of the global workforce, female participation in the energy sector remains dismal, with less than 20 percent of the energy industry workforce being women in 2023. While the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reports higher female participation in the renewable energy sector at around 32 percent, female voices often do not make it to the decision making process as a majority of women occupy administrative roles.
With support from the International Development Research Center (IDRC), the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and 2X Global launched a project to enhance outcomes for women working in the clean energy sector in Latin America and Africa through applied research. ANDE has offered financial support of up to US$ 60,000 to six promising research teams to conduct applied research with the goal of better understanding the current dynamics and means to increase female engagement in the clean energy sector in Latin America and Africa. ANDE’s collaboration is one of 12 research projects in the renewable energy sector that the IDRC has implemented through its Clean Energy for Development: A Call to Action (CEDCA).
These six research studies take diverse approaches to building actionable evidence regarding women serving as entrepreneurs, employees, and consumers in the transition to clean energy. Importantly, each team is made up of a research partner and practitioner partner to ensure that evidence is rooted in real-world solutions that can be replicable.
Three studies will delve into the resources that are geared at aiding women entrepreneurs in the clean energy sector. Researchers will explore modalities for entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) that could help female entrepreneurs secure the necessary skills, financing, and network to excel in their respective regions.
Mujeres Empresarias & Universidad de Concepción will establish a Community of Practice (CoP) to stimulate entrepreneurship and innovation among women in the cleantech sector in Chile and examine its effectiveness. The program aims to impact around 350 women in cleantech and build the CoP around 200 professionals at the national level. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis, the team will analyze the CoP’s impact on participants’ entrepreneurial skills, business performance, and network strength. The research will also provide a blueprint of best practices that influenced the CoP in Chile, which could be tailored to fit the needs of entrepreneurial ecosystems elsewhere.
Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC & The Broker’s primary research question explores how gender responsive practices implemented by entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) impact participation and outcomes for female entrepreneurs in the clean energy sector in South Africa. The research is set to focus specifically on entrepreneurs involved in photovoltaic (solar) energy.
Primarily using a qualitative research approach through case studies, interviews, surveys and an in-depth review of existing literature, the study aims to produce an actionable toolkit for ESOs in Africa and beyond to integrate a gender-lens in their support model.
The Caribshare Company Limited & Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología aim to address the issue of limited financing and networking opportunities for female clean energy entrepreneurs in the Caribbean. Focusing specifically on Jamaica, the study will explore the feasibility of a cooperative to support female renewable energy entrepreneurs. Renewable energy cooperatives (RECs) allow people to participate in local-scale energy generation instead of being ‘end-of-wire’ recipients of a centralized energy system. While this bottom-up approach has been applied in more industrialized economies, such programs are rare in developing economies, let alone in a gender-inclusive manner. Through its qualitative methodology, the study stands out by filling the stark lack of research surrounding renewable energy entrepreneurship in the Caribbean, offering important insights to practitioners and entrepreneurs alike.
A single study that ANDE funded aims to increase female participation in the clean energy workforce.
National Association for Women’s Action in Development (NAWAD) & Makerere University aim to increase women’s employment in Uganda’s briquette industry which currently remains a highly male-dominated sector. Researchers will examine the impact of providing more efficient and gender inclusive briquette machines to increase female participation in this industry while also exploring more sustainable inputs in production. With a higher energy conversion rate than charcoal, briquets could be a staple source of cooking fuel in Uganda. This study will explore how the implementation of more efficient technology and infrastructure may impact female participation in the clean-energy workforce.
Two studies examine the impact of disseminating sustainable energy sources, specifically solar in rural and semi-urban communities, on women. Researchers will attempt to fill evidence gaps in how energy independence in rural communities contributes to better socio-economic outcomes for women.
Unreasonable Institute Mexico & Bitacora Social will segue from the typical economic and sociological research methods and investigate women’s decision making processes in Mexico’s energy transition through an anthropological lens. Using qualitative methods, the study will analyze in what ways women’s social roles could alter as a result of energy transition and how they navigate the changes in their responsibilities and expectations. This research will help policy makers better understand the social implications of energy transition in the socio-economic and cultural standing of women in the society.
Solar Sister & 60 Decibels will explore the spillover effects of sustainable solar energy adaptation on women in rural Nigeria, Tanzania, and Kenya. The study will also explore how Solar Sister’s social network and training model impact the livelihood of women entrepreneurs in terms of their decision-making, and finances, and how the training equips women with transferable skills that could be applied to make a meaningful impact on other areas of their life. Contingent on their findings regarding the program’s effectiveness, the researchers aim to scale their model in order to serve more communities while the insights from this study can help other programs replicate this model in other localities.
Women’s empowerment and the clean energy transition have a symbiotic relationship. Sustainable energy reduces household responsibilities, making them safer and more efficient, which, in turn, enables women to pursue employment, entrepreneurship, or educational opportunities. At the same time, women are key to expanding clean energy access, particularly in remote areas, where community knowledge, relatability, and approachability to other women makes them effective salespeople, technicians and entrepreneurs. Yet women remain underrepresented in the sector, facing significant barriers. Boosting female participation can help break these barriers and position women as leaders in an industry that has profound impacts on gender equality.
To keep up with the latest updates on this initiative, please visit the project page.
As a key partner in this project, 2X Global’s research initiative focuses on addressing key challenges related to access to finance and the innovative solutions advanced by local gender-smart fund managers. These fund managers, based in emerging economies, are leading the way in creating innovative financing solutions for gender- and climate-smart entrepreneurs tailored to local contexts. 2X Global will conduct action research in the form of deep-dive case studies of local fund managers across Asia-Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America & the Caribbean. This research will contribute to the development of a gender- and climate-smart impact management and measurement (IMM) system, generating new insights that will help shape and advance the field of gender lens investing. The impact will be further amplified through shared learning and knowledge exchange events that involve a diverse range of stakeholders.
To support this initiative, 2X Global has partnered with three regional research leads: MSC Consulting for the Asia-Pacific region, Bodmando Consulting for Sub-Saharan Africa, and SAEDI Consulting for Latin America and the Caribbean. Together, we are in the process of selecting fund managers, who will be engaged in the creation of deep-dive case studies and the ongoing development and refinement of IMM practices.
Additionally, as part of this project, 2X Global will collect both quantitative and qualitative data on fund managers from the broader ecosystem to better understand the landscape of emerging gender- and climate-smart fund managers across emerging market regions. The Market Mapping Survey is currently live and aims to inform the broader landscape of fund managers investing at the intersection of climate and gender.