Launch: Women Entrepreneurs as Key Drivers in the Decentralised Renewable Energy Sector

27 November 2020 | Gender equality is both a necessary condition and a strong catalyst to achieve universal energy access by 2030. At the intersection of gender equality, clean and affordable energy access and sustainable economic development, the connection between SDG-7 and SDG-5 offers an untapped array of innovative solutions and a pool of talents that traditional approaches are likely to miss.

Women Entrepreneurs as Key Drivers in the Decentralised Renewable Energy Sector – Best Practices and Innovative Business Models, a new publication by ARE, supported by GET.invest, aims to:

• Highlight the essential role that women play in energy access and sustainable socio-economic development in rural communities;
• Serve as inspiration for innovative gender-sensitive approaches to consolidate gender equality at each level of the DRE supply chain

The report showcases 17 case studies from ARE members, demonstrating how gender equality can be consolidated at each level of the DRE supply chain. Additionally, the report features core recommendations for DRE companies, CSOs, private investors and international funding partners.

Because energy needs, impacts and access levels differ widely between men and women, one of the main recommendations at the community level is to strengthen community consultation in partnership with associations, so as to better understand gender dynamics. Other community-level recommendations include conducting capacity building programmes, developing financing schemes for women-owned businesses to facilitate access to productive use equipment, promoting digital solutions and supporting savings groups where applicable.

On the organisational level, ARE recognises a need to approach gender equality in energy access systemically. This can be done i.e. by developing a gender action plan, including more women in design processes and monitoring gender impact data closely. For investors, collecting gender-disaggregated data, developing standardised impact measurement frameworks and analysing impact from a gender perspective, can be constructive ways of advancing gender mainstreaming and ensuring diversified portfolios.

Want to learn more and discover innovative case studies from ARE members? Download the publication under resources on the right side of this page.