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.
This blog post summarizes key discussions from the UNCSW69 panel event “Powering Change: Women, Youth, and the Clean Energy Revolution” held on March 13, 2025.
On March 13th at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) we hosted an event titled “Powering Change: Women, Youth, and the Clean Energy Revolution.” The event brought together experts from various regions to address a critical challenge of our time: ensuring that women and youth are not left behind in the global transition to clean energy.
The clean energy transition represents one of the most significant economic and environmental shifts of our generation. However, we currently face a paradoxical situation of “jobs without people, people without jobs”. While employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the clean energy sector are growing rapidly everywhere in the world, so are skill and talent shortages, mostly because working in the clean energy sector requires specific skills, training, and access to finance. Since women and youth are more likely to struggle in accessing these requirements, they are often unable to secure work in clean energy even in contexts such as Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) where they experience very high levels of unemployment. Despite the burgeoning opportunities in renewable energy sectors, women and youth—particularly in developing regions—continue to face disproportionate barriers to participation.
The numbers tell a compelling story. For instance, in some rural areas of Senegal, 43% of homes still lack access to electricity. Meanwhile, female labour force participation in the MENA region remains the lowest worldwide, despite the region’s abundant renewable energy resources. This disconnect represents not just a social inequity, but a missed economic opportunity on a massive scale.
The panel wove together perspectives from diverse geographic contexts, creating a rich tapestry of insights that transcended regional boundaries while acknowledging unique local challenges.
Evidence from Kenya paints a compelling picture of the transformative potential in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy delivers not just environmental benefits but opens economic doorways. Renewable energy creates cascading opportunities through entrepreneurship and jobs across entire deployment value chains, emphasizing that successful transition requires holistic capacity building at all levels, from individual skills development to supportive policies and institutions.
The MENA region poses a fascinating paradox: a region historically dependent on fossil fuels now increasingly vulnerable to climate change impacts yet simultaneously blessed with abundant renewable resources. Despite this potential, women’s participation remains strikingly low. Cultural expectations around care work, limited access to STEM education, and financial barriers create interlocking challenges that must be addressed systemically rather than piecemeal.
Senegal has an ambitious plan to increase renewable energy share to 40% by 2030, but women in rural communities face daily challenges as they navigate the impossible choice between unpaid care work and income-generating activities. Senegal’s three-pronged approach—addressing customer demand, supplier capacity, and microfinance institutions—offers a practical framework for comprehensive intervention.
What emerged across all three perspectives was the critical importance of context-specific approaches that recognize the diversity of women’s and youth’s experiences while addressing common structural barriers.
The panel identified several key barriers that disproportionately affect women and youth in the clean energy sector:
The panel offered several promising approaches to increase women and youth participation in the clean energy transition:
All panellists emphasized the critical importance of tailored training programs such as holistic skills development that addresses both technical capabilities and business acumen; gender-sensitive STEM education and mentorship programs and financial literacy and entrepreneurial management training. Michele described an innovative capacity-building program in Senegal co-developed specifically for women and youth entrepreneurs. The program includes financial literacy education, entrepreneurial management training, and technical knowledge of renewable energy technologies.
Effective policies and institutional frameworks are essential enablers and should include removal of regulatory, financial, and bureaucratic barriers; implementation of gender-sensitive policies that recognize and address women’s unique challenges; participatory approaches that involve all ecosystem actors in conversations and decision-making and evidence-based policy development that avoids generalization and addresses specific needs.
Innovative financing models are crucial to overcome traditional barriers. Programs to increase women’s and youth’s access to financing solutions are needed. It is essential to map existing financial mechanisms and identifying gaps and create partnerships with microfinance institutions to provide products and services tailored for renewable energies.
The Q&A sessions revealed that these issues resonate globally, with participants from countries as diverse as Nigeria, India, and Jordan sharing similar experiences.
One particularly thought-provoking question addressed the trade-offs of increasing women in the workforce, particularly concerning care responsibilities. This highlighted the need for holistic approaches that consider the full spectrum of women’s roles and responsibilities.
Other questions focused on practical concerns:
The panel concluded with forward-looking recommendations:
The clean energy revolution presents an unprecedented opportunity to address multiple global challenges simultaneously: climate change, energy access, gender equality, and youth unemployment. By placing women and youth at the centre of renewable energy strategies, we can create more inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous societies.
As Michele eloquently stated in her closing remarks, “by focusing on the demand side, supply side, and microfinance institutions, we can create a more inclusive energy ecosystem with capacity-building programs empowering women and youth to actively participate in the energy transition.”
The path forward requires commitment, innovation, and collaboration across sectors and borders. But as this panel demonstrated, the vision of an inclusive clean energy future is not only necessary—it’s achievable. By supporting women and youth with the right resources, skills, and policies, we can power change that benefits everyone.
The Clean Energy for Development: A Call to Action (CEDCA) – initiative is dedicated to generating evidence that informs policy reforms and innovations supporting a transformative clean energy transition. A key focus is enabling women and youth to lead in greening energy through micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Across low- and middle-income countries, MSMEs are not only major sources of jobs and income but also a critical pathway to gender-inclusive economic development. However, a lack of access to clean energy remains one of the greatest barriers to their success.
This article, written by CEDCA advisor and IDS research fellow Seife Ayele, presents two contrasting case studies that illustrate how electricity access—or the lack of it—can shape the role of MSMEs in a just energy transition. These examples highlight real-world challenges and opportunities in the shift towards inclusive and sustainable energy solutions.
Several cross-country studies show that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are greater sources of jobs and income in low-and middle-income countries than in high income countries, and the micro ones in particular are more likely to be led by women. However, lack of access to clean energy is one of the greatest barriers to these businesses.
In this piece I narrate two contrasting cases where access to electricity hampers or fosters the fight against poverty and climate change and reflect on how the challenges may be addressed.
Two years back I was on a research mission in Arerti town, central Ethiopia, and visited an MSME that was set up in 2022 with the help of a Netherlands-funded 2 Scale Programme. The underlying thinking in 2 Scale programming is co-designing and implementing projects to create new businesses run by those marginalised in their communities, often women and youth. The programme improves access to markets and facilitates the provision of essential services like credit.
The MSME I visited was set up by four unemployed women, and was supported by the 2 Scale Programme, a local farmers union (called Kessem Union), and local and regional government actors. The business bakes and sells injera (a staple bread in the area and in many parts of Ethiopia) and has no official name or logo. The women were assisted to use a shed built with support from the town administration, Kessem Union and 2 Scale Programme as their workplace
Teff Injera baking shed constructed with support from Kessem Union and 2 Scale Programme. credit: Seife Ayele
This Amharic sign translates to; “We provide fresh injera to: Hotels and restaurants, Events, Households”
Kessem Union supplied teff, the main ingredient of injera, to be paid for once the injera was sold. The entrepreneurs started well, were generating income and felt economically independent.
Besides their own jobs, the MSME has an induced employment effect downstream of the food value chain. Restaurateurs buying the injera in turn employed additional staff to work in their busy restaurants. While still in town, I held conversations with a couple of these restaurateurs who, while commenting positively on the performance of the entrepreneurs, pointed out some major areas for improvement, particularly regarding the consistency of the injera, its thickness, depth of cooking and the need for guaranteed timely deliveries.
I went back to the MSME owners with this feedback. They were fully aware of the limitations but were severely hampered by lack of access to a grid connection, and they were not able to pay for motorised delivery to the restaurants. They had to use firewood to bake injera, which directly contributed to tree damage and adversely affected the environment. Their workplace had no ventilation system either, so the smoke was impacting on their vision and general health. Moreover, one of the women had her toddler with her in the shed, so the child too was exposed to the unhealthy workplace.
The women at the MSME knew about the Ethiopian government’s electrification programme and industrial parks in nearby cities with grid connections for would-be investors. Their continuous plight for access to electricity, however, remained unaddressed.
Recently, I listened to the BBC World Service Programme “People Fixing the World” and subsequently read more about an uplifting story about women prosumers (renewable electricity producers and consumers) from Ambakivao, Madagascar. These entrepreneurial women are varyingly referred to as women solar engineers, solar mamas or solar grandmothers.
The initiative to generate and use renewable energy started back in 2012 by the World Wildlife Fund, in collaboration with India-based Barefoot College International (BCI). These women solar engineers generate electricity using solar panels and service their own households and their communities. The unique features of the initiative are that it is, first, led by poor women with limited literacy and no knowledge of solar technology. These are women less likely to migrate to cities, but they generate income from installing and sustainably maintaining solar panels in their communities. Second, it targeted those who live in rural areas with less access to the grid system (some of these engineers were 70 kilometres south of the Capital Antananarivo). Finally, the entrepreneurs received training and technical support from relevant actors such as BFI, WWF and local government. As a result, they were empowered to function independently and sustainably. They overcame dependence on firewood and fossil fuel for lighting, and batteries for lighting and phone charging. The BBC report notes that, by end of the decade, 700 women engineers would provide 500 000 families access to renewable electricity. Using similar practical solutions, it is doubly encouraging that communities using renewable energy for business, cooking, heating and lighting is growing in many parts of the developing world.
The two cases demonstrate that, while the challenge is huge, access to electricity is key for women-led MSMEs to thrive. Concerted collaborative initiatives such as that which enabled women solar engineers can be instrumental in producing and consuming electricity from mini to large solar panels, even in less accessible rural areas. MSMEs in low- and middle-income countries can be prosumers and fight against poverty and climate change. Creating opportunities for women as well as men is important for increasing the number of renewably powered businesses and speeding up the transition to clean energy.
Two important lessons for clean energy policy and practice in CEDCA’s focal nations are demonstrated by these case studies:
CEDCA aims to support policies and initiatives that increase access to renewable energy, generate economic possibilities, and empower women and young people to spearhead the shift to a more environmentally friendly future by learning from these experiences. These illustrations provide motivation and useful models for what can be accomplished in each of CEDCA’s priority areas.
As the world races to combat climate change, one of the most powerful solutions lies in unlocking the potential of women and youth. On the sidelines of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 69th session, a groundbreaking event titled “Powering Change: Women, Youth, and the Clean Energy Revolution” will shed light on how these groups are pivotal in driving the global clean energy transition.
The event is set to be a powerful platform for showcasing the integral role of these often underrepresented groups in reshaping the energy landscape.
Women and youth have long been at the forefront of innovative solutions to global challenges, and their contributions to clean energy are no exception. Women bring unique leadership and perspectives to the table, offering fresh solutions and insights that can transform the energy sector. Youth, on the other hand, are often driving the demand for new technologies, sustainable practices, and ambitious policies.
Both groups face significant barriers to participation in the energy sector, but they also possess immense potential to reshape the future of energy systems. Empowering women and youth not only creates more equitable opportunities but also strengthens the overall resilience of energy systems. As the world grapples with the realities of climate change, it is essential that the voices of women and youth are heard, their talents recognized, and their leadership supported.
Photo by Axel Fassio/CIFOR
The Powering Change event comes at a pivotal moment for the global energy transition. As nations work toward meeting climate goals, women and youth are too often left out of decision-making processes. However, the inclusion of these groups in the energy sector is vital for achieving both social justice and environmental sustainability. By empowering women and youth, we can create a more inclusive and diverse energy workforce that drives lasting change.
The clean energy transition is not just about reducing carbon emissions; it’s also about economic growth, job creation, and social justice. However, to fully unlock its potential, the transition must be gender-sensitive and inclusive.
Without proper training, financial support, and employment pathways, many women and young people will miss out on opportunities in the sector. This could slow economic development and make it harder for countries to meet global goals like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Bipasha Baruah, Professor & Canada Research Chair in Global Women’s Issues.
This is event is in-person only and for anyone who is attending The Commission on the Status for Women 2025 (UNCSW).
Location: CCUN, 10th floor
Time: 4:30 to 6:00 pm EST