SB64 Calls for Gender Inclusion as Key to Energy Transition Across Africa

Policymakers, development finance institutions and energy sector stakeholders are being urged to place women at the centre of Africa’s energy transition to ensure investments deliver inclusive and equitable development outcomes.

The call was made during the 64th Session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) in Bonn, Germany, alongside the release of a new advocacy brief, Whose Energy Is It Anyway? Centring Women’s Voices and Realities in Africa’s Energy Future.

The report argues that Africa’s energy access challenge is not solely an infrastructure issue but also a gender and development concern. Women and girls continue to bear the greatest burden of energy poverty through unpaid care work, fuel collection and reliance on traditional cooking fuels.

According to Dr Melania Chiponda, Executive Director of Shine Collab and author of the brief, inadequate access to modern energy limits women’s opportunities for education, employment and leadership while exposing them to health risks associated with indoor air pollution.

Nearly 600 million Africans still lack reliable electricity access, with Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for the majority of the global energy-poor population. The report highlights that women in the region perform more than three times as much unpaid care work as men, often spending hours each day collecting firewood and water.

The health impacts are significant. Indoor air pollution from biomass cooking fuels is estimated to have contributed to approximately 700,000 deaths across Africa in 2019, disproportionately affecting women and children.

The brief also highlights the economic benefits of expanding access to clean cooking technologies and reliable electricity. Evidence from projects in Kenya and Tanzania shows that improved cookstoves reduce time spent gathering fuel and preparing meals, allowing women to pursue income-generating activities and education.

The report’s release comes as momentum grows around Mission 300, the African Development Bank and World Bank initiative aimed at connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. Advocates warn that large-scale energy investments could deepen existing inequalities unless gender considerations are embedded throughout project design, financing and implementation.

Key recommendations include increasing women’s participation in energy governance, adopting gender-responsive monitoring systems, expanding investment in clean cooking solutions and introducing affordability measures that address barriers faced by women-led households.

Stakeholders say Africa’s energy transition should be judged not only by new power connections and installed capacity, but also by its ability to improve health, economic participation and quality of life for women across the continent.