Lawmaker Calls for Improvement in Women’s Participation in Renewable Energy Sector

Lawmaker Calls for Improvement in Women’s Participation in Renewable Energy Sector

The member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/South Federal Constituency of Abia State, Hon. Sam Onuigbo, has called for enhanced action towards increasing women’s participation in the renewable energy sector so as to address issues of Climate Change, while also empowering the women economically.

Onuigbo who also doubles as the Vice President (Africa) of Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE) International, said this during his presentation on the topic ‘Measures to Improve Women’s Engagement in the Renewables Sector’ at the just concluded International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)’s Legislators Forum 10th Assembly in Abu Dhabi, between January 10-12, 2020.

The federal lawmaker who spoke on the foundation of three decades of experience as a community leader stated that women are passionate and committed drivers for positive change in societies and as such should be engaged in the renewables sector through laws, strategies and deliberate policies to combat climate change in order to achieve Green economy.

Onuigbo called for the deployment of a combination of laws, actions and innovative approaches at the local and national levels to address gender inequality, and guarantee women’s empowerment and access to finance and education. This is all the more important, he stressed, because when a woman is trained, a nation is built.

He pointed that from his experiences, women have the incomparable ability to mobilise and motivate people to action and as such, as key players in the renewable energy sector, will initiate and execute massive strides towards the attainment of the use of sustainable energy sources and the protection of the environment.

While speaking on the need for sustainable energy use and improvement in women’s participation, Senator Abshiro Soka Halake, who is the Vice-Chairman ICT Committee in the Kenyan Parliament, said that the Kenyan Parliament has enacted a Procurement Law that reserves 30 per cent of the procurement activities for Women and Youths and this includes the renewables sector.

Senator Halake also pointed out that Kenya currently draws 40 per cent of its energy through renewables.

IRENA assemblies are annual events where global discussions on the deployment of renewable energy sources in order to checkmate environmental challenges caused by energy sources, while engendering sustainable development are held by experts and policy makers all over the world.

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