Accra, Dec.9, GNA– Women and female students in the energy sector have been advised to position themselves strategically to secure green jobs.
This has become necessary as the world is transitioning to the use of renewable energy sources to reduce global carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Professor Ellen Bortei-Doku Aryeetey, Head of the Centre for Social Policy, University of Ghana, made the call in a keynote address delivered at the Third Women in Energy Conference in Accra.
The conference, held on the theme, “Women in Energy: Collaborating to transform our sector”, attracted players in the energy sector to discuss opportunities for women in the energy sector and rally women employee associations in energy institutions to have a collective voice on issues.
The event was organised by the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) with financial support from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) as part of the Ghana-Compact II, to empower women to be self-reliant and contribute their quota towards national development.
So far, MiDA and its partners had trained more than 650 women and female students in energy programmes to make them adaptive to energy related field of work.
Prof. Aryeetey observed that the world was gradually shifting from the use of fossil fuel to renewable energy sources and underlined the need for women to acquire relevant skills in eco-transition to secure gainful employment in the energy sector.
“Green jobs for women is becoming very crucial in eco-transitioning and so, women in Ghana, should not be left behind but must be active players with a collective voice to transforming the economy,” she emphasised.
Mr Martin Eson-Benjamin, the Chief Executive Officer for MiDA, in his welcome remarks, said the event intended to provide the opportunity for women to network, exchange ideas, and harness the experiences and best practices of Female Employee Associations to stratigise towards the advancement of gender equality and social inclusion in the energy sector.
He said with the Millennium Challenge Compact ending in June next year, it was imperative that MiDA rally women to consolidate the gains made so far and work together towards scalable and lasting change in the energy sector.
There were goodwill messages from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), and the Ministry of Energy thus, assuring that they would provide a congenial environment for mentoring female leaders in the energy sector.
GNA