Pacific Women in Power Program launched to increase women’s employment and economic empowerment

[May 12, 2023, by Ezra Toara] The Pacific Power Association (PPA) and the World Bank launched the Pacific Women in Power (PWIP) Program at the 5th Pacific Regional Energy and Transport Ministers Meeting at Le Lagon in Port Vila, Vanuatu yesterday.

In collaboration with the Pacific Community (SPC), the program will support the increase of women’s employment as engineers, scientists and leaders in the energy sector.

The Pacific Women in Power Program’s objective is to enhance women’s employment and economic empowerment across various Pacific Island energy institutions including ministries, utilities and the private sector.

Ms Helle Buchhave said increasing women’s employment in energy, a traditionally male dominated sector, is good for business.

Global Gender Lead with the Social Inclusion Practice of the World Bank, said. “Globally, we see that promoting a gender diverse workforce has resulted in better employee retention, better financial performance, greater innovation, improved service delivery and safer operating environment.”

Ms Buchhave added the World Bank has estimated that on average, and in the long run, GDP per capita would be around 22% higher for Pacific islands if employment rates for women were to match men.

The Pacific Women in Power Program objective builds on and compliments the PPA’s mission to support its energy utility members to promote and advance gender equality within a diverse and motivated workforce.

“Expanding and modernizing the energy sector is vital since the limited availability of energy constrains human and economic development,” PPA Acting Executive Director, Gordon Chang said.

“The PPA believes that the investments being made in energy, and increasingly in renewable energy in the Pacific, can be a springboard for promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Pacific Women in Power Program is a groundbreaking initiative to support our efforts in this area.”

Pacific Women in Power will also align with SPC’s Pacific Energy and Gender Strategic Action Plan (PEGSAP — 2020-2030) to mainstream gender in the clean energy sector and to address gender imbalance.

Ms Mereseini Rakuita, SPC’s Principal Strategic Lead – Pacific Women and Girls, said, SPC is greatly encouraged that the Pacific Women in Power Program aligns with the objectives of PEGSAP, as the endorsed blueprint for empowering women in the energy sector.”

“SPC, as the Secretariat to the Pacific Energy Gender Initiative (PEGI) Regional Steering Committee, which has oversight of the implementation of PEGSAP, looks forward to ongoing and close collaboration with the Word Bank and PPA. This collaboration is key, as it will ensure national ownership and sustainability of such initiatives beyond the life of projects.”

Commenting on the Pacific Women in Power Program, Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Ralph Regenvanu, highlighted the importance of having women participating in the energy sector, particularly in management.

“In our communities, from household level up, women are always the managers and so they need to be encouraged and trained on energy technologies, and also the management aspects of energy,” Regenvanu said. “In fact, as a government, we recognize that where women are involved in institutions’ management committees, such as in our water sector where policy and legislation was enacted to support women in leadership, that entity is better managed. I believe we will find this to be the same for the energy sector and welcome this initiative by the World Bank.”

“Most Pacific nations have impressive and ambitious renewable energy targets that call for large investment and change,” Mitsunori Motohashi, Pacific Hub Energy Program Coordinator of the World Bank, said while addressing the Pacific officials and ministers of energy and transport in Vanuatu this week.

“Transformation of the energy sector will also require transformation of the energy workforce.

“Power utilities across the Pacific face major challenges, including retaining a qualified workforce. In this context, women represent an untapped labor pool, and a great opportunity for the energy sector as it evolves, particularly with heightened renewable energy targets.”

In the Pacific, less than a quarter of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce is female.

Ms Buchhave explained that under the Pacific Women in Power Program, the World Bank will be gathering data and helping energy institutions design and invest in future and current innovations, partnerships and policies to increase women’s participation in the energy sector.

“The Program will also provide the opportunity to exchange with peers in other regions who also target a more gender diverse energy workforce,” she said.

“We want this program to have some really practical outcomes to help shift the dial in the Pacific energy sector to enhance equality for women.”

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