2 December 2015: The Clean Energy Ministerial’s (CEM) Clean Energy Solutions Center released a report on energy and gender issues in the 15 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The report, which lays the groundwork for the development of the ECOWAS Policy for Gender Mainstreaming in Energy Access, including advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), was formally released on 2 December 2015, at an ECOWAS side event during the Paris Climate Change Conference.

The report examines the role of women in energy access and decision-making in the region, finding that women continue to be outside the decision-making sphere on energy policy and their human rights are often compromised when addressing energy access issues. It notes that too few women are currently working in ECOWAS’ energy sector, particularly at a leadership level, and highlights ways ECOWAS member States could adopt gender-responsive energy and development strategies to achieve the objectives of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative and SDGs.

The report was developed by the Solutions Center in collaboration with the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), ENERGIA and Sustainable Energy Solutions, with support from the African Development Bank (AfBD), Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID) and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). [ECREEE press release] [Situation Analysis of Energy and Gender Issues in ECOWAS Member States]