“An amazing experience that offered us actionable insights and access to a global knowledge network”

It was encouraging to hear the progress from African nations on addressing gender gaps within their organizations. It gave me confidence and great insights to do the same at PNG Power,” Lucy Veao Senior Human Resource Officer, Recruitment of PNG Power Limited (PPL)

The Women in Energy Network – Africa (WEN-Africa) held its 2nd Annual Conference in Lusaka, Zambia, on April 3rd and 4th, 2025. The conference, themed “Empowering Women to Energize Africa’s Future,” focused on advancing gender equality in the energy sector.

The event showcased WEN-Africa’s commitment to transforming Africa’s energy landscape by empowering women across the energy value chain, and featured representatives from various energy organizations across Africa and beyond, including Papua New Guinea.

Benedicta Savage, Acting General Manager, National System Operations, and Lucy Veao, Senior Human Resource Officer, Recruitment of PNG Power Limited (PPL) attended the conference, eager to learn from international counterparts and share their own experiences in PNG’s energy sector.

PPL, a Pacific Women in Power Trailblazer, represented the program to peers at WEN-Africa. The World Bank’s Pacific Women in Power Program supports utilities and energy ministries in increasing women’s employment in the Pacific energy sector.

Benedicta and Lucy share insights from WEN-Africa 2nd Annual Conference

Benedicta’s journey to Zambia was the longest trip she had ever taken, lasting almost two days.

“Upon arrival, I felt apprehensive as I had never been to that part of the world,” Benedicta said. “We had a good night’s rest, and at the conference the next morning the presence of friends from the World Bank, event organizers and even translators throughout the event helped ease my concerns.”

The conference stood out as a significant regional gathering, according to Benedicta, with extensive international representation that underscored its importance and scope.

Reflecting on her first impressions, Benedicta noted that the issues faced by attendees were quite similar to those faced in PNG, and she was impressed by WEN-Africa’s strong targets to move the numbers in the area of women’s jobs.

“The diverse sessions—from policy implementation to entrepreneurship—offered actionable insights and inspiring success stories,” Benedicta said.

“Personal interactions with professionals across Africa reinforced the value of collaboration and exchange.”

“My key takeaways from the conference included the realization of the importance of platforms like the World Bank’s Pacific Women in Power Program, to push gender inclusion targets in our region,” Benedicta remarked. “I hope that these efforts will continue and that partnerships  can be set up in PNG to support women, and that PPL continue to measure our progress year on year against the Pacific Women in Power baseline.”

She emphasized the need for ongoing support within the workplace to make meaningful changes, acknowledging that they are just starting the journey at PPL.

“For example, I am the only female engineer in my team, and if we set targets to boost our efforts, it can increase women in STEM roles at PPL, but we need deliberate actions for change, and tracking.”

Benedicta added that one of the best parts of the conference was the opportunity to share stories about the Pacific during a panel discussion with an audience that was unfamiliar with the Pacific region.

“It was great forming connections and learning from their networks,” she said. “The toughest part of the experience was the travel, but the insights gained were invaluable.”

Lucy felt similar apprehension on travelling to an unfamiliar part of the world, but soon felt at ease.

“When I met the WEN-Africa representatives, the World Bank team, they were amazing and a joy to work with. The environment felt somewhat similar to PNG, making me feel very comfortable.”

With gender work progressing in Papua New Guinea, alongside the PNG National Public Services Policy 2013 and the recently approved revised PPL Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) & Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Policy, Lucy envisioned PPL evolving into a State-Owned Entity that champions GESI principles and values.

“It was encouraging to hear the progress from African nations on addressing gender gaps within their organizations. It gave me confidence and great insights to do the same at PNG Power,” Lucy said.

“I hope that efforts, such as these international learning opportunities supported by the World Bank’s Pacific Women in Power Program, will continue, to tap into the value of collaboration and knowledge exchange.”

Lucy had the opportunity to present at the conference about PPL’s own gender-inclusion efforts and challenges, marking her first such experience at an international-level event. Lucy highlighted PPL’s commitment to gender equality and women’s employment within their organization, and work with the World Bank’s Pacific Women in Power program to drive changes towards a more enabling work environment for women.

Lucy met several people whose presentations aligned with her interests, including Engineer Saleh Suleiman from Zanzibar, Engineer Dr. Chilala Kakoma from Zambia, Ms. Cecillia Kalungu-Yvyu from Kenya Power and Lighting Company, and Mr. Antony T. Mutambirwa from ZASA Holdings, Zimbabwe. These interactions provided valuable insights and potential for future collaboration.

“The experience not only aligned with the PPL and PWIP goals for increasing women’s employment but also emphasized that while challenges are shared, so too are the pathways to impactful solutions.”

Progressing practical outcomes from WEN-Africa 2nd Annual Conference

CAPTION: L to R: Ms. Fowzia Hassan, Team Leader & Senior Energy Operations Officer, World Bank, Benedicta Savage, Assistant Manager National Systems Operations, PPL, Lucy Veao, HR Senior Recruitment Officer, PPL, Madam Eng. Amani Al-Azzam, RENEW MENA Steering Committee Member, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Jordan, Dr. Reham Elmorally, Head of Public Policy, Entlaq Holdings, Egypt.

Looking ahead, Benedicta and Lucy believe that scholarships for women and gathering support from local stakeholders, such as schools and universities, as well as from development partners, to increase the number of female engineers graduating in PNG would be beneficial.

“We also see opportunities to increase interest in the energy sector from an early school age,” they said.

Benedicta and Lucy also proposed the establishment of an internal network within PPL to help women in STEM roles progress their career aspirations.

“Now is when our work really begins, and we look forward to support from our colleagues and management at PPL, and ongoing engagement with initiatives such as the World Bank Pacific Women in Power Program, to make these goals a reality.”