The Second Women in Energy Conference 2020 has taken place in Accra with Speakers calling for stronger partnerships to create an all – inclusive environment, that will position women for an effective role in the energy sector.
This they noted, will require proactive programmes to increase women representation in the energy sector.
The speakers drawn from the Energy and Power Utilities Sector said modern global trends call for organizational performance focusing on gender diversity by involving more women.
The theme for the three day conference was “Women in Energy: Positioning for the future”.
In his opening remarks, the CEO of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Martin Eson – Benjamin stated that an organization can improve its performance and maximize the social impact of its investments if gender and social inclusion become an integral part of its policies systems and practice.
This is why MiDA took the lead in power compacts contribution towards the advancement of gender inclusion in the energy sector.
“MIDA has developed a strategy which is advocating the inclusion of female employee Associations”.
This according to Mr Eson-Benjamin will create an enabling work environment that will see improvement in Women’s Leadership to improve employee performance and productivity.
The Director of Human Resource at GRIDCO, Florence Adjei, stated that the contribution women in the world of work is felt all over.
“The constant clamour for more women participating in top executive positions across the global corporate space keeps growing” she said.
This, according to her is for a “good reason, because the role of women in the corporate space is integral to prolonged sustainability, profitability and progress.’’
She stressed that more work needs to be done to guarantee the progress made in the corporate world.
Dr. Stella Adjenim Boateng of the Volta River Authority (VRA) encouraged women to be resilient and not be afraid of the changing trends in technology but rather embrace them and face the challenges that comes with it.
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cynthia Morrison said women cannot position themselves for the future if they are not actively participating in the decision making process of the country.
To this end, the ministry is working to expedite the passage of the Affirmation Bill passed into law.
The Bill when passed, will increase women’s representation and active participation in decision making at all levels to advance change and create a stronger action in promoting gender equality and women empowerment.
The Keynote Speaker who is the Immediate past President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, Professor Aba Bentil Andam called for resilience from all women to take over the Energy Sector.
The conference tends to create opportunities for networking, exchanging knowledge and harnessing the experiences and best practices of Female Associations in the Energy Sector and Allied Groups.
The goal is to leverage on strategies for advancing social inclusion and for improvement in organization performance within the Energy Sector.
About 100 virtual participants were in attendance across West Africa with another eighty persons in attendance physically.
STORY FILED BY: YVONNE ATILEGO
