A path to climate resilience » Capital News
KISII, Kenya, Nov 8 — Women in sub-Saharan Africa are lagging in Africa’s transition to renewable energy and the continent’s contribution to climate action, especially carbon neutrality.
Despite being equal stakeholders in energy use, women face significant barriers to energy access, which burdens them with the lack of clean energy and the effects of climate change.
These women, who are some of the primary consumers of energy, rely heavily on it for essential tasks such as cooking and household chores. However, they often struggle with limited access to clean energy sources.
For decades, Beatrice Nyaboke from Bomwancha village in rural Kisii has used wood and kerosene for cooking and lighting to support her family, including helping her four children with their homework.
Nyaboke shares that she and other women in her village would often gather firewood from the forest or buy kerosene from a nearby shopping center for use at home.
This process would take about two hours, leaving her with limited time to complete daily chores like fetching water and gathering vegetables before sunset.
In the evenings, she would spend another two hours preparing food, with her children doing homework by the light of kerosene lamps. Once dinner was over, they would quickly turn off the lamps to save oil for the next day.
During the rainy season, when firewood was wet, Nyaboke would spend even longer in the kitchen. The smoke from damp wood would irritate her eyes, causing tears, sneezing, and coughing through the night.
“I developed chest pain and nearly lost my eyesight from decades of smoke in my kitchen,” Nyaboke recalls.
In 2022, her eyesight worsened, leading her to seek medical help. An optician recommended glasses to prevent further vision loss.
Following a neighbor’s advice, she purchased an eco-friendly cooking stove for $20, which emits no pollutants and saves her hours in the kitchen.
“I bought the eco-friendly cooking stove, which has saved my family from the health risks of wood smoke,” Nyaboke says.
She also invested in solar panels, which, with assistance from a local installer, allowed her to transition to solar energy and reduce costs.
Prince Papa, Africa’s regional campaigner for the Fossil Fuels Non-Proliferation Treaty, highlights that Africa holds vast renewable energy potential—nearly 40 per cent of the global share and 60 per cent of the world’s prime solar resources. Yet, the continent receives only 2 per cent of global investments in renewable energy.
Transitioning to renewable energy could help Africa reduce greenhouse gas emissions and align with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius, contributing to a net-zero world by 2050.
According to Papa, a people-centered global transition requires wealthy countries to support Africa’s efforts by addressing structural barriers in the global economy.
“The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty offers a legal framework to fund a just transition toward a renewable-powered Africa, guaranteeing sustainable development, justice, equity, and peace,” he asserts.
Edina Kangwana of the Gusii Women in Leadership Network argues that including women in renewable energy discussions can enhance access and improve their quality of life.
“The small number of women in the energy sector should be part of the solution by closing the gender gap and making positive impacts on the lives of women and girls,” Kangwana says.
Globally, women hold only 13.9 per cent of senior management roles in the energy utilities sector, compared to 15.5 per cent in non-energy sectors.
They account for less than 11 per cent of patent applications related to energy and just over 15 per cent in climate change mitigation technologies.
Research by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IREA) shows that women represent only one-third of the global energy workforce, with limited leadership roles.
Expanding women’s participation in the renewable energy sector could bring transformative change and significantly improve their lives.
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