The Women in Energy Network – Africa (WEN-Africa) convened its 2026 Partners Engagement Conference in Lomé, Togo, bringing together energy sector leaders, policymakers, utilities, development partners, and institutional stakeholders to strengthen collaboration toward a more inclusive and sustainable energy future.

Held on 13–14 January 2026, the conference served as a strategic platform to reflect on progress achieved since the launch of WEN-Africa and to define forward-looking priorities that accelerate women’s participation and leadership across the energy value chain. Discussions emphasized that Africa’s energy transition requires not only investment and innovation, but also systemic inclusion, institutional commitment, and coordinated action across regional partners.

Through technical sessions, high-level panels, and collaborative workshops, participants examined practical approaches to advancing gender-responsive policies, strengthening institutional capacity, and developing actionable gender strategies within power utilities and energy institutions. The conference also highlighted the role of partnerships in scaling impact, fostering knowledge exchange, and supporting locally driven solutions aligned with regional development priorities.

Supported by the World Bank’s Africa Gender and Energy Team (AGET) and ESMAP, the event reinforced WEN-Africa’s evolution as an Africa-led platform that connects stakeholders across public and private sectors to promote equitable access to opportunities, strengthen leadership pathways for women, and contribute to resilient and sustainable energy systems across the continent.

The Women in Energy Network-Africa (Women in Energy Network-Africa) successfully concluded its 2026 regional conference in Lomé, marking an important milestone in the platform’s journey to address persistent gender inequalities in Africa’s energy sector. Hosted in the Republic of Togo, the conference convened institutional partners, policymakers, utilities, private sector leaders, and development stakeholders under the theme “Addressing Gender Inequalities in Energy: Partnerships for Sustainability.”

The Lomé convening served as a progress checkpoint for WEN-Africa since its launch in February 2024, while also reinforcing a shared commitment to ensuring that Africa’s energy transition is inclusive, equitable, and anchored in strong institutional collaboration. Over the course of the conference, participants engaged in focused panel discussions led by partner institutions and energy sector representatives from across sub-Saharan Africa, examining both structural barriers and practical solutions to women’s under-representation in the sector.

Key Achievements and Progress Since Launch

Discussions highlighted WEN-Africa’s steady progress in positioning gender equality as a core dimension of energy policy, planning, and operations. Since its establishment, the platform has evolved into a credible space for dialogue, peer learning, and coordinated action, bringing together stakeholders who influence decision-making across the energy value chain.

Speakers reflected on early achievements, including:

• Increased visibility of gender considerations in national and regional energy conversations.
• Stronger collaboration between public institutions, utilities, and development partners.
• A growing network of women professionals accessing technical exposure, leadership pathways, and peer support.

Kwawu Mensan Gaba, Energy Global Practice Manager for Western and Central Africa at the World Bank, emphasized that WEN-Africa’s core objective is to strengthen women’s participation across energy policy, planning, and operational roles. He underscored the platform’s focus on building technical and leadership capabilities while fostering partnerships that enable inclusive and sustainable energy development.

Importantly, discussions also recognized energy access as a broader development enabler. Participants examined how women and young people can leverage improved energy access to expand economic activities, support education, improve health outcomes, and drive innovation at the community level.

Lessons Learned from Partnership-Driven Action

One of the clearest conclusions to emerge from the Lomé conference was that gender inclusion in the energy sector advances most effectively when it is anchored in structured, long-term partnerships rather than stand-alone initiatives. Across panel discussions and country interventions, participants consistently underscored that progress accelerates when institutions align their mandates, resources, and accountability mechanisms around shared gender objectives. In this context, partnerships were not viewed as symbolic affiliations, but as operational instruments that shape policy choices, investment decisions, and workforce outcomes.

A key lesson was the importance of integrating gender considerations at the earliest stages of energy sector planning. When gender inclusion is embedded at the point of policy formulation, project design, and procurement structuring, it influences how projects are staffed, how skills are developed, and how benefits are distributed. Conversely, initiatives introduced later in the project cycle were widely recognized as less effective and more difficult to scale. This reinforced the need for energy institutions and development partners to treat gender analysis as a foundational input rather than a compliance requirement.

Discussions also highlighted the decisive role of institutional leadership in sustaining momentum. Where senior leadership actively champions gender inclusion, participants observed clearer mandates, stronger internal coordination, and more consistent tracking of results. In contrast, fragmented ownership across departments often diluted impact. This insight pointed to the value of governance structures that assign clear responsibility for gender outcomes within energy institutions and partner organizations.

Another critical lesson centered on the value of cross-country learning. Participants emphasized that many African countries are confronting similar structural challenges, from skills gaps to cultural barriers, yet successful interventions often remain localized. WEN-Africa’s role as a platform for systematic knowledge exchange was therefore seen as essential for accelerating progress. By sharing evidence-based practices and practical implementation experience, partners can reduce learning curves and avoid repeating ineffective approaches.

Collectively, these lessons reinforced a central message of the conference: partnerships are most effective when they move beyond advocacy and actively shape how energy systems are planned, financed, and managed. For WEN-Africa, this insight provides a clear pathway forward—strengthening collaborative frameworks that translate shared commitments into measurable, sector-wide change.

National Commitment and Regional Momentum

The Lomé conference clearly demonstrated that progress on gender equality in the energy sector is increasingly anchored in national ownership, reinforced through coordinated regional collaboration. The presence and active engagement of government leadership sent a strong signal that gender inclusion is now being treated as a strategic pillar of national energy agendas rather than an auxiliary social objective. This shift in positioning is significant, as national policy direction and institutional tone ultimately shape how inclusive practices are adopted across utilities, regulators, and project delivery agencies.

National representatives emphasized that translating commitments into tangible outcomes requires deliberate alignment between policy intent and implementation mechanisms. Legal and regulatory frameworks must explicitly enable women’s participation, while public institutions must ensure these frameworks are reflected in recruitment pipelines, technical training programs, leadership development initiatives, and project governance structures. Where this alignment is present, gender inclusion moves from aspiration to execution.

Key national-level enablers highlighted during the discussions included:

• Clear policy mandates linking gender objectives to energy sector performance.
• Leadership ownership within ministries, utilities, and regulators.
• Integration of gender indicators into workforce planning and project oversight.
• Dedicated institutional coordination between energy, education, and labor authorities.

Alongside strong national commitment, the conference underscored the accelerating value of regional momentum. Many of the structural challenges discussed—skills gaps, limited leadership representation, and unequal access to technical roles—are common across sub-Saharan Africa. Addressing them in isolation risks fragmentation and uneven progress. By convening diverse national experiences, WEN-Africa enables countries to benchmark approaches, exchange practical lessons, and align their efforts around shared regional priorities.

Participants noted that regional collaboration adds tangible value by:

• Enabling peer learning across countries facing similar institutional constraints.
• Supporting harmonization of gender-responsive practices across energy systems.
• Creating scale for capacity-building and leadership development initiatives.
• Strengthening the collective voice for inclusive energy transitions at regional and global forums.

The engagement of senior policymakers, including Togo’s leadership, reinforced that inclusive energy transitions depend on sustained political will. Their contributions highlighted that women’s full participation is essential to building resilient, future-ready energy systems capable of supporting economic growth, innovation, and social development. In this context, the Lomé conference represented a convergence of national resolve and regional ambition—positioning WEN-Africa as a critical bridge between policy commitment and coordinated, continent-wide action.

The Way Forward

As WEN-Africa moves beyond the Lomé conference, the focus now shifts to deepening impact. Priorities emerging from the discussions include strengthening country-level engagement, expanding technical and leadership development opportunities, and reinforcing partnerships that link gender inclusion directly to energy outcomes.

The Lomé conference reaffirmed that gender equality in energy is both a development imperative and a strategic necessity. Through sustained collaboration and shared accountability, WEN-Africa is well positioned to continue supporting an energy transition that delivers opportunity, resilience, and inclusive growth across Africa.

The Women in Energy Network-Africa (Women in Energy Network-Africa) successfully concluded its 2026 regional conference in Lomé, marking an important milestone in the platform’s journey to address persistent gender inequalities in Africa’s energy sector. Hosted in the Republic of Togo, the conference convened institutional partners, policymakers, utilities, private sector leaders, and development stakeholders under the theme “Addressing Gender Inequalities in Energy: Partnerships for Sustainability.”

The Lomé convening served as a progress checkpoint for WEN-Africa since its launch in February 2024, while also reinforcing a shared commitment to ensuring that Africa’s energy transition is inclusive, equitable, and anchored in strong institutional collaboration. Over the course of the conference, participants engaged in focused panel discussions led by partner institutions and energy sector representatives from across sub-Saharan Africa, examining both structural barriers and practical solutions to women’s under-representation in the sector.

Key Achievements and Progress Since Launch

Discussions highlighted WEN-Africa’s steady progress in positioning gender equality as a core dimension of energy policy, planning, and operations. Since its establishment, the platform has evolved into a credible space for dialogue, peer learning, and coordinated action, bringing together stakeholders who influence decision-making across the energy value chain.

Speakers reflected on early achievements, including:

• Increased visibility of gender considerations in national and regional energy conversations.
• Stronger collaboration between public institutions, utilities, and development partners.
• A growing network of women professionals accessing technical exposure, leadership pathways, and peer support.

Kwawu Mensan Gaba, Energy Global Practice Manager for Western and Central Africa at the World Bank, emphasized that WEN-Africa’s core objective is to strengthen women’s participation across energy policy, planning, and operational roles. He underscored the platform’s focus on building technical and leadership capabilities while fostering partnerships that enable inclusive and sustainable energy development.

Importantly, discussions also recognized energy access as a broader development enabler. Participants examined how women and young people can leverage improved energy access to expand economic activities, support education, improve health outcomes, and drive innovation at the community level.

Lessons Learned from Partnership-Driven Action

One of the clearest conclusions to emerge from the Lomé conference was that gender inclusion in the energy sector advances most effectively when it is anchored in structured, long-term partnerships rather than stand-alone initiatives. Across panel discussions and country interventions, participants consistently underscored that progress accelerates when institutions align their mandates, resources, and accountability mechanisms around shared gender objectives. In this context, partnerships were not viewed as symbolic affiliations, but as operational instruments that shape policy choices, investment decisions, and workforce outcomes.

A key lesson was the importance of integrating gender considerations at the earliest stages of energy sector planning. When gender inclusion is embedded at the point of policy formulation, project design, and procurement structuring, it influences how projects are staffed, how skills are developed, and how benefits are distributed. Conversely, initiatives introduced later in the project cycle were widely recognized as less effective and more difficult to scale. This reinforced the need for energy institutions and development partners to treat gender analysis as a foundational input rather than a compliance requirement.

Discussions also highlighted the decisive role of institutional leadership in sustaining momentum. Where senior leadership actively champions gender inclusion, participants observed clearer mandates, stronger internal coordination, and more consistent tracking of results. In contrast, fragmented ownership across departments often diluted impact. This insight pointed to the value of governance structures that assign clear responsibility for gender outcomes within energy institutions and partner organizations.

Another critical lesson centered on the value of cross-country learning. Participants emphasized that many African countries are confronting similar structural challenges, from skills gaps to cultural barriers, yet successful interventions often remain localized. WEN-Africa’s role as a platform for systematic knowledge exchange was therefore seen as essential for accelerating progress. By sharing evidence-based practices and practical implementation experience, partners can reduce learning curves and avoid repeating ineffective approaches.

Collectively, these lessons reinforced a central message of the conference: partnerships are most effective when they move beyond advocacy and actively shape how energy systems are planned, financed, and managed. For WEN-Africa, this insight provides a clear pathway forward—strengthening collaborative frameworks that translate shared commitments into measurable, sector-wide change.

National Commitment and Regional Momentum

The Lomé conference clearly demonstrated that progress on gender equality in the energy sector is increasingly anchored in national ownership, reinforced through coordinated regional collaboration. The presence and active engagement of government leadership sent a strong signal that gender inclusion is now being treated as a strategic pillar of national energy agendas rather than an auxiliary social objective. This shift in positioning is significant, as national policy direction and institutional tone ultimately shape how inclusive practices are adopted across utilities, regulators, and project delivery agencies.

National representatives emphasized that translating commitments into tangible outcomes requires deliberate alignment between policy intent and implementation mechanisms. Legal and regulatory frameworks must explicitly enable women’s participation, while public institutions must ensure these frameworks are reflected in recruitment pipelines, technical training programs, leadership development initiatives, and project governance structures. Where this alignment is present, gender inclusion moves from aspiration to execution.

Key national-level enablers highlighted during the discussions included:

• Clear policy mandates linking gender objectives to energy sector performance.
• Leadership ownership within ministries, utilities, and regulators.
• Integration of gender indicators into workforce planning and project oversight.
• Dedicated institutional coordination between energy, education, and labor authorities.

Alongside strong national commitment, the conference underscored the accelerating value of regional momentum. Many of the structural challenges discussed—skills gaps, limited leadership representation, and unequal access to technical roles—are common across sub-Saharan Africa. Addressing them in isolation risks fragmentation and uneven progress. By convening diverse national experiences, WEN-Africa enables countries to benchmark approaches, exchange practical lessons, and align their efforts around shared regional priorities.

Participants noted that regional collaboration adds tangible value by:

• Enabling peer learning across countries facing similar institutional constraints.
• Supporting harmonization of gender-responsive practices across energy systems.
• Creating scale for capacity-building and leadership development initiatives.
• Strengthening the collective voice for inclusive energy transitions at regional and global forums.

The engagement of senior policymakers, including Togo’s leadership, reinforced that inclusive energy transitions depend on sustained political will. Their contributions highlighted that women’s full participation is essential to building resilient, future-ready energy systems capable of supporting economic growth, innovation, and social development. In this context, the Lomé conference represented a convergence of national resolve and regional ambition—positioning WEN-Africa as a critical bridge between policy commitment and coordinated, continent-wide action.

The Way Forward

As WEN-Africa moves beyond the Lomé conference, the focus now shifts to deepening impact. Priorities emerging from the discussions include strengthening country-level engagement, expanding technical and leadership development opportunities, and reinforcing partnerships that link gender inclusion directly to energy outcomes.

The Lomé conference reaffirmed that gender equality in energy is both a development imperative and a strategic necessity. Through sustained collaboration and shared accountability, WEN-Africa is well positioned to continue supporting an energy transition that delivers opportunity, resilience, and inclusive growth across Africa.

The Women in Energy Network-Africa (Women in Energy Network-Africa) successfully concluded its 2026 regional conference in Lomé, marking an important milestone in the platform’s journey to address persistent gender inequalities in Africa’s energy sector. Hosted in the Republic of Togo, the conference convened institutional partners, policymakers, utilities, private sector leaders, and development stakeholders under the theme “Addressing Gender Inequalities in Energy: Partnerships for Sustainability.”

The Lomé convening served as a progress checkpoint for WEN-Africa since its launch in February 2024, while also reinforcing a shared commitment to ensuring that Africa’s energy transition is inclusive, equitable, and anchored in strong institutional collaboration. Over the course of the conference, participants engaged in focused panel discussions led by partner institutions and energy sector representatives from across sub-Saharan Africa, examining both structural barriers and practical solutions to women’s under-representation in the sector.

Key Achievements and Progress Since Launch

Discussions highlighted WEN-Africa’s steady progress in positioning gender equality as a core dimension of energy policy, planning, and operations. Since its establishment, the platform has evolved into a credible space for dialogue, peer learning, and coordinated action, bringing together stakeholders who influence decision-making across the energy value chain.

Speakers reflected on early achievements, including:

• Increased visibility of gender considerations in national and regional energy conversations.
• Stronger collaboration between public institutions, utilities, and development partners.
• A growing network of women professionals accessing technical exposure, leadership pathways, and peer support.

Kwawu Mensan Gaba, Energy Global Practice Manager for Western and Central Africa at the World Bank, emphasized that WEN-Africa’s core objective is to strengthen women’s participation across energy policy, planning, and operational roles. He underscored the platform’s focus on building technical and leadership capabilities while fostering partnerships that enable inclusive and sustainable energy development.

Importantly, discussions also recognized energy access as a broader development enabler. Participants examined how women and young people can leverage improved energy access to expand economic activities, support education, improve health outcomes, and drive innovation at the community level.

Lessons Learned from Partnership-Driven Action

One of the clearest conclusions to emerge from the Lomé conference was that gender inclusion in the energy sector advances most effectively when it is anchored in structured, long-term partnerships rather than stand-alone initiatives. Across panel discussions and country interventions, participants consistently underscored that progress accelerates when institutions align their mandates, resources, and accountability mechanisms around shared gender objectives. In this context, partnerships were not viewed as symbolic affiliations, but as operational instruments that shape policy choices, investment decisions, and workforce outcomes.

A key lesson was the importance of integrating gender considerations at the earliest stages of energy sector planning. When gender inclusion is embedded at the point of policy formulation, project design, and procurement structuring, it influences how projects are staffed, how skills are developed, and how benefits are distributed. Conversely, initiatives introduced later in the project cycle were widely recognized as less effective and more difficult to scale. This reinforced the need for energy institutions and development partners to treat gender analysis as a foundational input rather than a compliance requirement.

Discussions also highlighted the decisive role of institutional leadership in sustaining momentum. Where senior leadership actively champions gender inclusion, participants observed clearer mandates, stronger internal coordination, and more consistent tracking of results. In contrast, fragmented ownership across departments often diluted impact. This insight pointed to the value of governance structures that assign clear responsibility for gender outcomes within energy institutions and partner organizations.

Another critical lesson centered on the value of cross-country learning. Participants emphasized that many African countries are confronting similar structural challenges, from skills gaps to cultural barriers, yet successful interventions often remain localized. WEN-Africa’s role as a platform for systematic knowledge exchange was therefore seen as essential for accelerating progress. By sharing evidence-based practices and practical implementation experience, partners can reduce learning curves and avoid repeating ineffective approaches.

Collectively, these lessons reinforced a central message of the conference: partnerships are most effective when they move beyond advocacy and actively shape how energy systems are planned, financed, and managed. For WEN-Africa, this insight provides a clear pathway forward—strengthening collaborative frameworks that translate shared commitments into measurable, sector-wide change.

National Commitment and Regional Momentum

The Lomé conference clearly demonstrated that progress on gender equality in the energy sector is increasingly anchored in national ownership, reinforced through coordinated regional collaboration. The presence and active engagement of government leadership sent a strong signal that gender inclusion is now being treated as a strategic pillar of national energy agendas rather than an auxiliary social objective. This shift in positioning is significant, as national policy direction and institutional tone ultimately shape how inclusive practices are adopted across utilities, regulators, and project delivery agencies.

National representatives emphasized that translating commitments into tangible outcomes requires deliberate alignment between policy intent and implementation mechanisms. Legal and regulatory frameworks must explicitly enable women’s participation, while public institutions must ensure these frameworks are reflected in recruitment pipelines, technical training programs, leadership development initiatives, and project governance structures. Where this alignment is present, gender inclusion moves from aspiration to execution.

Key national-level enablers highlighted during the discussions included:

• Clear policy mandates linking gender objectives to energy sector performance.
• Leadership ownership within ministries, utilities, and regulators.
• Integration of gender indicators into workforce planning and project oversight.
• Dedicated institutional coordination between energy, education, and labor authorities.

Alongside strong national commitment, the conference underscored the accelerating value of regional momentum. Many of the structural challenges discussed—skills gaps, limited leadership representation, and unequal access to technical roles—are common across sub-Saharan Africa. Addressing them in isolation risks fragmentation and uneven progress. By convening diverse national experiences, WEN-Africa enables countries to benchmark approaches, exchange practical lessons, and align their efforts around shared regional priorities.

Participants noted that regional collaboration adds tangible value by:

• Enabling peer learning across countries facing similar institutional constraints.
• Supporting harmonization of gender-responsive practices across energy systems.
• Creating scale for capacity-building and leadership development initiatives.
• Strengthening the collective voice for inclusive energy transitions at regional and global forums.

The engagement of senior policymakers, including Togo’s leadership, reinforced that inclusive energy transitions depend on sustained political will. Their contributions highlighted that women’s full participation is essential to building resilient, future-ready energy systems capable of supporting economic growth, innovation, and social development. In this context, the Lomé conference represented a convergence of national resolve and regional ambition—positioning WEN-Africa as a critical bridge between policy commitment and coordinated, continent-wide action.

The Way Forward

As WEN-Africa moves beyond the Lomé conference, the focus now shifts to deepening impact. Priorities emerging from the discussions include strengthening country-level engagement, expanding technical and leadership development opportunities, and reinforcing partnerships that link gender inclusion directly to energy outcomes.

The Lomé conference reaffirmed that gender equality in energy is both a development imperative and a strategic necessity. Through sustained collaboration and shared accountability, WEN-Africa is well positioned to continue supporting an energy transition that delivers opportunity, resilience, and inclusive growth across Africa.

The Women in Energy Network-Africa (Women in Energy Network-Africa) successfully concluded its 2026 regional conference in Lomé, marking an important milestone in the platform’s journey to address persistent gender inequalities in Africa’s energy sector. Hosted in the Republic of Togo, the conference convened institutional partners, policymakers, utilities, private sector leaders, and development stakeholders under the theme “Addressing Gender Inequalities in Energy: Partnerships for Sustainability.”

The Lomé convening served as a progress checkpoint for WEN-Africa since its launch in February 2024, while also reinforcing a shared commitment to ensuring that Africa’s energy transition is inclusive, equitable, and anchored in strong institutional collaboration. Over the course of the conference, participants engaged in focused panel discussions led by partner institutions and energy sector representatives from across sub-Saharan Africa, examining both structural barriers and practical solutions to women’s under-representation in the sector.

Key Achievements and Progress Since Launch

Discussions highlighted WEN-Africa’s steady progress in positioning gender equality as a core dimension of energy policy, planning, and operations. Since its establishment, the platform has evolved into a credible space for dialogue, peer learning, and coordinated action, bringing together stakeholders who influence decision-making across the energy value chain.

Speakers reflected on early achievements, including:

• Increased visibility of gender considerations in national and regional energy conversations.
• Stronger collaboration between public institutions, utilities, and development partners.
• A growing network of women professionals accessing technical exposure, leadership pathways, and peer support.

Kwawu Mensan Gaba, Energy Global Practice Manager for Western and Central Africa at the World Bank, emphasized that WEN-Africa’s core objective is to strengthen women’s participation across energy policy, planning, and operational roles. He underscored the platform’s focus on building technical and leadership capabilities while fostering partnerships that enable inclusive and sustainable energy development.

Importantly, discussions also recognized energy access as a broader development enabler. Participants examined how women and young people can leverage improved energy access to expand economic activities, support education, improve health outcomes, and drive innovation at the community level.

Lessons Learned from Partnership-Driven Action

One of the clearest conclusions to emerge from the Lomé conference was that gender inclusion in the energy sector advances most effectively when it is anchored in structured, long-term partnerships rather than stand-alone initiatives. Across panel discussions and country interventions, participants consistently underscored that progress accelerates when institutions align their mandates, resources, and accountability mechanisms around shared gender objectives. In this context, partnerships were not viewed as symbolic affiliations, but as operational instruments that shape policy choices, investment decisions, and workforce outcomes.

A key lesson was the importance of integrating gender considerations at the earliest stages of energy sector planning. When gender inclusion is embedded at the point of policy formulation, project design, and procurement structuring, it influences how projects are staffed, how skills are developed, and how benefits are distributed. Conversely, initiatives introduced later in the project cycle were widely recognized as less effective and more difficult to scale. This reinforced the need for energy institutions and development partners to treat gender analysis as a foundational input rather than a compliance requirement.

Discussions also highlighted the decisive role of institutional leadership in sustaining momentum. Where senior leadership actively champions gender inclusion, participants observed clearer mandates, stronger internal coordination, and more consistent tracking of results. In contrast, fragmented ownership across departments often diluted impact. This insight pointed to the value of governance structures that assign clear responsibility for gender outcomes within energy institutions and partner organizations.

Another critical lesson centered on the value of cross-country learning. Participants emphasized that many African countries are confronting similar structural challenges, from skills gaps to cultural barriers, yet successful interventions often remain localized. WEN-Africa’s role as a platform for systematic knowledge exchange was therefore seen as essential for accelerating progress. By sharing evidence-based practices and practical implementation experience, partners can reduce learning curves and avoid repeating ineffective approaches.

Collectively, these lessons reinforced a central message of the conference: partnerships are most effective when they move beyond advocacy and actively shape how energy systems are planned, financed, and managed. For WEN-Africa, this insight provides a clear pathway forward—strengthening collaborative frameworks that translate shared commitments into measurable, sector-wide change.

National Commitment and Regional Momentum

The Lomé conference clearly demonstrated that progress on gender equality in the energy sector is increasingly anchored in national ownership, reinforced through coordinated regional collaboration. The presence and active engagement of government leadership sent a strong signal that gender inclusion is now being treated as a strategic pillar of national energy agendas rather than an auxiliary social objective. This shift in positioning is significant, as national policy direction and institutional tone ultimately shape how inclusive practices are adopted across utilities, regulators, and project delivery agencies.

National representatives emphasized that translating commitments into tangible outcomes requires deliberate alignment between policy intent and implementation mechanisms. Legal and regulatory frameworks must explicitly enable women’s participation, while public institutions must ensure these frameworks are reflected in recruitment pipelines, technical training programs, leadership development initiatives, and project governance structures. Where this alignment is present, gender inclusion moves from aspiration to execution.

Key national-level enablers highlighted during the discussions included:

• Clear policy mandates linking gender objectives to energy sector performance.
• Leadership ownership within ministries, utilities, and regulators.
• Integration of gender indicators into workforce planning and project oversight.
• Dedicated institutional coordination between energy, education, and labor authorities.

Alongside strong national commitment, the conference underscored the accelerating value of regional momentum. Many of the structural challenges discussed—skills gaps, limited leadership representation, and unequal access to technical roles—are common across sub-Saharan Africa. Addressing them in isolation risks fragmentation and uneven progress. By convening diverse national experiences, WEN-Africa enables countries to benchmark approaches, exchange practical lessons, and align their efforts around shared regional priorities.

Participants noted that regional collaboration adds tangible value by:

• Enabling peer learning across countries facing similar institutional constraints.
• Supporting harmonization of gender-responsive practices across energy systems.
• Creating scale for capacity-building and leadership development initiatives.
• Strengthening the collective voice for inclusive energy transitions at regional and global forums.

The engagement of senior policymakers, including Togo’s leadership, reinforced that inclusive energy transitions depend on sustained political will. Their contributions highlighted that women’s full participation is essential to building resilient, future-ready energy systems capable of supporting economic growth, innovation, and social development. In this context, the Lomé conference represented a convergence of national resolve and regional ambition—positioning WEN-Africa as a critical bridge between policy commitment and coordinated, continent-wide action.

The Way Forward

As WEN-Africa moves beyond the Lomé conference, the focus now shifts to deepening impact. Priorities emerging from the discussions include strengthening country-level engagement, expanding technical and leadership development opportunities, and reinforcing partnerships that link gender inclusion directly to energy outcomes.

The Lomé conference reaffirmed that gender equality in energy is both a development imperative and a strategic necessity. Through sustained collaboration and shared accountability, WEN-Africa is well positioned to continue supporting an energy transition that delivers opportunity, resilience, and inclusive growth across Africa.

The Women in Energy Network-Africa (Women in Energy Network-Africa) successfully concluded its 2026 regional conference in Lomé, marking an important milestone in the platform’s journey to address persistent gender inequalities in Africa’s energy sector. Hosted in the Republic of Togo, the conference convened institutional partners, policymakers, utilities, private sector leaders, and development stakeholders under the theme “Addressing Gender Inequalities in Energy: Partnerships for Sustainability.”

The Lomé convening served as a progress checkpoint for WEN-Africa since its launch in February 2024, while also reinforcing a shared commitment to ensuring that Africa’s energy transition is inclusive, equitable, and anchored in strong institutional collaboration. Over the course of the conference, participants engaged in focused panel discussions led by partner institutions and energy sector representatives from across sub-Saharan Africa, examining both structural barriers and practical solutions to women’s under-representation in the sector.

Key Achievements and Progress Since Launch

Discussions highlighted WEN-Africa’s steady progress in positioning gender equality as a core dimension of energy policy, planning, and operations. Since its establishment, the platform has evolved into a credible space for dialogue, peer learning, and coordinated action, bringing together stakeholders who influence decision-making across the energy value chain.

Speakers reflected on early achievements, including:

• Increased visibility of gender considerations in national and regional energy conversations.
• Stronger collaboration between public institutions, utilities, and development partners.
• A growing network of women professionals accessing technical exposure, leadership pathways, and peer support.

Kwawu Mensan Gaba, Energy Global Practice Manager for Western and Central Africa at the World Bank, emphasized that WEN-Africa’s core objective is to strengthen women’s participation across energy policy, planning, and operational roles. He underscored the platform’s focus on building technical and leadership capabilities while fostering partnerships that enable inclusive and sustainable energy development.

Importantly, discussions also recognized energy access as a broader development enabler. Participants examined how women and young people can leverage improved energy access to expand economic activities, support education, improve health outcomes, and drive innovation at the community level.

Lessons Learned from Partnership-Driven Action

One of the clearest conclusions to emerge from the Lomé conference was that gender inclusion in the energy sector advances most effectively when it is anchored in structured, long-term partnerships rather than stand-alone initiatives. Across panel discussions and country interventions, participants consistently underscored that progress accelerates when institutions align their mandates, resources, and accountability mechanisms around shared gender objectives. In this context, partnerships were not viewed as symbolic affiliations, but as operational instruments that shape policy choices, investment decisions, and workforce outcomes.

A key lesson was the importance of integrating gender considerations at the earliest stages of energy sector planning. When gender inclusion is embedded at the point of policy formulation, project design, and procurement structuring, it influences how projects are staffed, how skills are developed, and how benefits are distributed. Conversely, initiatives introduced later in the project cycle were widely recognized as less effective and more difficult to scale. This reinforced the need for energy institutions and development partners to treat gender analysis as a foundational input rather than a compliance requirement.

Discussions also highlighted the decisive role of institutional leadership in sustaining momentum. Where senior leadership actively champions gender inclusion, participants observed clearer mandates, stronger internal coordination, and more consistent tracking of results. In contrast, fragmented ownership across departments often diluted impact. This insight pointed to the value of governance structures that assign clear responsibility for gender outcomes within energy institutions and partner organizations.

Another critical lesson centered on the value of cross-country learning. Participants emphasized that many African countries are confronting similar structural challenges, from skills gaps to cultural barriers, yet successful interventions often remain localized. WEN-Africa’s role as a platform for systematic knowledge exchange was therefore seen as essential for accelerating progress. By sharing evidence-based practices and practical implementation experience, partners can reduce learning curves and avoid repeating ineffective approaches.

Collectively, these lessons reinforced a central message of the conference: partnerships are most effective when they move beyond advocacy and actively shape how energy systems are planned, financed, and managed. For WEN-Africa, this insight provides a clear pathway forward—strengthening collaborative frameworks that translate shared commitments into measurable, sector-wide change.

National Commitment and Regional Momentum

The Lomé conference clearly demonstrated that progress on gender equality in the energy sector is increasingly anchored in national ownership, reinforced through coordinated regional collaboration. The presence and active engagement of government leadership sent a strong signal that gender inclusion is now being treated as a strategic pillar of national energy agendas rather than an auxiliary social objective. This shift in positioning is significant, as national policy direction and institutional tone ultimately shape how inclusive practices are adopted across utilities, regulators, and project delivery agencies.

National representatives emphasized that translating commitments into tangible outcomes requires deliberate alignment between policy intent and implementation mechanisms. Legal and regulatory frameworks must explicitly enable women’s participation, while public institutions must ensure these frameworks are reflected in recruitment pipelines, technical training programs, leadership development initiatives, and project governance structures. Where this alignment is present, gender inclusion moves from aspiration to execution.

Key national-level enablers highlighted during the discussions included:

• Clear policy mandates linking gender objectives to energy sector performance.
• Leadership ownership within ministries, utilities, and regulators.
• Integration of gender indicators into workforce planning and project oversight.
• Dedicated institutional coordination between energy, education, and labor authorities.

Alongside strong national commitment, the conference underscored the accelerating value of regional momentum. Many of the structural challenges discussed—skills gaps, limited leadership representation, and unequal access to technical roles—are common across sub-Saharan Africa. Addressing them in isolation risks fragmentation and uneven progress. By convening diverse national experiences, WEN-Africa enables countries to benchmark approaches, exchange practical lessons, and align their efforts around shared regional priorities.

Participants noted that regional collaboration adds tangible value by:

• Enabling peer learning across countries facing similar institutional constraints.
• Supporting harmonization of gender-responsive practices across energy systems.
• Creating scale for capacity-building and leadership development initiatives.
• Strengthening the collective voice for inclusive energy transitions at regional and global forums.

The engagement of senior policymakers, including Togo’s leadership, reinforced that inclusive energy transitions depend on sustained political will. Their contributions highlighted that women’s full participation is essential to building resilient, future-ready energy systems capable of supporting economic growth, innovation, and social development. In this context, the Lomé conference represented a convergence of national resolve and regional ambition—positioning WEN-Africa as a critical bridge between policy commitment and coordinated, continent-wide action.

The Way Forward

As WEN-Africa moves beyond the Lomé conference, the focus now shifts to deepening impact. Priorities emerging from the discussions include strengthening country-level engagement, expanding technical and leadership development opportunities, and reinforcing partnerships that link gender inclusion directly to energy outcomes.

The Lomé conference reaffirmed that gender equality in energy is both a development imperative and a strategic necessity. Through sustained collaboration and shared accountability, WEN-Africa is well positioned to continue supporting an energy transition that delivers opportunity, resilience, and inclusive growth across Africa.

The Women in Energy Network-Africa (Women in Energy Network-Africa) successfully concluded its 2026 regional conference in Lomé, marking an important milestone in the platform’s journey to address persistent gender inequalities in Africa’s energy sector. Hosted in the Republic of Togo, the conference convened institutional partners, policymakers, utilities, private sector leaders, and development stakeholders under the theme “Addressing Gender Inequalities in Energy: Partnerships for Sustainability.”

The Lomé convening served as a progress checkpoint for WEN-Africa since its launch in February 2024, while also reinforcing a shared commitment to ensuring that Africa’s energy transition is inclusive, equitable, and anchored in strong institutional collaboration. Over the course of the conference, participants engaged in focused panel discussions led by partner institutions and energy sector representatives from across sub-Saharan Africa, examining both structural barriers and practical solutions to women’s under-representation in the sector.

Key Achievements and Progress Since Launch

Discussions highlighted WEN-Africa’s steady progress in positioning gender equality as a core dimension of energy policy, planning, and operations. Since its establishment, the platform has evolved into a credible space for dialogue, peer learning, and coordinated action, bringing together stakeholders who influence decision-making across the energy value chain.

Speakers reflected on early achievements, including:

• Increased visibility of gender considerations in national and regional energy conversations.
• Stronger collaboration between public institutions, utilities, and development partners.
• A growing network of women professionals accessing technical exposure, leadership pathways, and peer support.

Kwawu Mensan Gaba, Energy Global Practice Manager for Western and Central Africa at the World Bank, emphasized that WEN-Africa’s core objective is to strengthen women’s participation across energy policy, planning, and operational roles. He underscored the platform’s focus on building technical and leadership capabilities while fostering partnerships that enable inclusive and sustainable energy development.

Importantly, discussions also recognized energy access as a broader development enabler. Participants examined how women and young people can leverage improved energy access to expand economic activities, support education, improve health outcomes, and drive innovation at the community level.

Lessons Learned from Partnership-Driven Action

One of the clearest conclusions to emerge from the Lomé conference was that gender inclusion in the energy sector advances most effectively when it is anchored in structured, long-term partnerships rather than stand-alone initiatives. Across panel discussions and country interventions, participants consistently underscored that progress accelerates when institutions align their mandates, resources, and accountability mechanisms around shared gender objectives. In this context, partnerships were not viewed as symbolic affiliations, but as operational instruments that shape policy choices, investment decisions, and workforce outcomes.

A key lesson was the importance of integrating gender considerations at the earliest stages of energy sector planning. When gender inclusion is embedded at the point of policy formulation, project design, and procurement structuring, it influences how projects are staffed, how skills are developed, and how benefits are distributed. Conversely, initiatives introduced later in the project cycle were widely recognized as less effective and more difficult to scale. This reinforced the need for energy institutions and development partners to treat gender analysis as a foundational input rather than a compliance requirement.

Discussions also highlighted the decisive role of institutional leadership in sustaining momentum. Where senior leadership actively champions gender inclusion, participants observed clearer mandates, stronger internal coordination, and more consistent tracking of results. In contrast, fragmented ownership across departments often diluted impact. This insight pointed to the value of governance structures that assign clear responsibility for gender outcomes within energy institutions and partner organizations.

Another critical lesson centered on the value of cross-country learning. Participants emphasized that many African countries are confronting similar structural challenges, from skills gaps to cultural barriers, yet successful interventions often remain localized. WEN-Africa’s role as a platform for systematic knowledge exchange was therefore seen as essential for accelerating progress. By sharing evidence-based practices and practical implementation experience, partners can reduce learning curves and avoid repeating ineffective approaches.

Collectively, these lessons reinforced a central message of the conference: partnerships are most effective when they move beyond advocacy and actively shape how energy systems are planned, financed, and managed. For WEN-Africa, this insight provides a clear pathway forward—strengthening collaborative frameworks that translate shared commitments into measurable, sector-wide change.

National Commitment and Regional Momentum

The Lomé conference clearly demonstrated that progress on gender equality in the energy sector is increasingly anchored in national ownership, reinforced through coordinated regional collaboration. The presence and active engagement of government leadership sent a strong signal that gender inclusion is now being treated as a strategic pillar of national energy agendas rather than an auxiliary social objective. This shift in positioning is significant, as national policy direction and institutional tone ultimately shape how inclusive practices are adopted across utilities, regulators, and project delivery agencies.

National representatives emphasized that translating commitments into tangible outcomes requires deliberate alignment between policy intent and implementation mechanisms. Legal and regulatory frameworks must explicitly enable women’s participation, while public institutions must ensure these frameworks are reflected in recruitment pipelines, technical training programs, leadership development initiatives, and project governance structures. Where this alignment is present, gender inclusion moves from aspiration to execution.

Key national-level enablers highlighted during the discussions included:

• Clear policy mandates linking gender objectives to energy sector performance.
• Leadership ownership within ministries, utilities, and regulators.
• Integration of gender indicators into workforce planning and project oversight.
• Dedicated institutional coordination between energy, education, and labor authorities.

Alongside strong national commitment, the conference underscored the accelerating value of regional momentum. Many of the structural challenges discussed—skills gaps, limited leadership representation, and unequal access to technical roles—are common across sub-Saharan Africa. Addressing them in isolation risks fragmentation and uneven progress. By convening diverse national experiences, WEN-Africa enables countries to benchmark approaches, exchange practical lessons, and align their efforts around shared regional priorities.

Participants noted that regional collaboration adds tangible value by:

• Enabling peer learning across countries facing similar institutional constraints.
• Supporting harmonization of gender-responsive practices across energy systems.
• Creating scale for capacity-building and leadership development initiatives.
• Strengthening the collective voice for inclusive energy transitions at regional and global forums.

The engagement of senior policymakers, including Togo’s leadership, reinforced that inclusive energy transitions depend on sustained political will. Their contributions highlighted that women’s full participation is essential to building resilient, future-ready energy systems capable of supporting economic growth, innovation, and social development. In this context, the Lomé conference represented a convergence of national resolve and regional ambition—positioning WEN-Africa as a critical bridge between policy commitment and coordinated, continent-wide action.

The Way Forward

As WEN-Africa moves beyond the Lomé conference, the focus now shifts to deepening impact. Priorities emerging from the discussions include strengthening country-level engagement, expanding technical and leadership development opportunities, and reinforcing partnerships that link gender inclusion directly to energy outcomes.

The Lomé conference reaffirmed that gender equality in energy is both a development imperative and a strategic necessity. Through sustained collaboration and shared accountability, WEN-Africa is well positioned to continue supporting an energy transition that delivers opportunity, resilience, and inclusive growth across Africa.

The Women in Energy Network-Africa (Women in Energy Network-Africa) successfully concluded its 2026 regional conference in Lomé, marking an important milestone in the platform’s journey to address persistent gender inequalities in Africa’s energy sector. Hosted in the Republic of Togo, the conference convened institutional partners, policymakers, utilities, private sector leaders, and development stakeholders under the theme “Addressing Gender Inequalities in Energy: Partnerships for Sustainability.”

The Lomé convening served as a progress checkpoint for WEN-Africa since its launch in February 2024, while also reinforcing a shared commitment to ensuring that Africa’s energy transition is inclusive, equitable, and anchored in strong institutional collaboration. Over the course of the conference, participants engaged in focused panel discussions led by partner institutions and energy sector representatives from across sub-Saharan Africa, examining both structural barriers and practical solutions to women’s under-representation in the sector.

Key Achievements and Progress Since Launch

Discussions highlighted WEN-Africa’s steady progress in positioning gender equality as a core dimension of energy policy, planning, and operations. Since its establishment, the platform has evolved into a credible space for dialogue, peer learning, and coordinated action, bringing together stakeholders who influence decision-making across the energy value chain.

Speakers reflected on early achievements, including:

• Increased visibility of gender considerations in national and regional energy conversations.
• Stronger collaboration between public institutions, utilities, and development partners.
• A growing network of women professionals accessing technical exposure, leadership pathways, and peer support.

Kwawu Mensan Gaba, Energy Global Practice Manager for Western and Central Africa at the World Bank, emphasized that WEN-Africa’s core objective is to strengthen women’s participation across energy policy, planning, and operational roles. He underscored the platform’s focus on building technical and leadership capabilities while fostering partnerships that enable inclusive and sustainable energy development.

Importantly, discussions also recognized energy access as a broader development enabler. Participants examined how women and young people can leverage improved energy access to expand economic activities, support education, improve health outcomes, and drive innovation at the community level.

Lessons Learned from Partnership-Driven Action

One of the clearest conclusions to emerge from the Lomé conference was that gender inclusion in the energy sector advances most effectively when it is anchored in structured, long-term partnerships rather than stand-alone initiatives. Across panel discussions and country interventions, participants consistently underscored that progress accelerates when institutions align their mandates, resources, and accountability mechanisms around shared gender objectives. In this context, partnerships were not viewed as symbolic affiliations, but as operational instruments that shape policy choices, investment decisions, and workforce outcomes.

A key lesson was the importance of integrating gender considerations at the earliest stages of energy sector planning. When gender inclusion is embedded at the point of policy formulation, project design, and procurement structuring, it influences how projects are staffed, how skills are developed, and how benefits are distributed. Conversely, initiatives introduced later in the project cycle were widely recognized as less effective and more difficult to scale. This reinforced the need for energy institutions and development partners to treat gender analysis as a foundational input rather than a compliance requirement.

Discussions also highlighted the decisive role of institutional leadership in sustaining momentum. Where senior leadership actively champions gender inclusion, participants observed clearer mandates, stronger internal coordination, and more consistent tracking of results. In contrast, fragmented ownership across departments often diluted impact. This insight pointed to the value of governance structures that assign clear responsibility for gender outcomes within energy institutions and partner organizations.

Another critical lesson centered on the value of cross-country learning. Participants emphasized that many African countries are confronting similar structural challenges, from skills gaps to cultural barriers, yet successful interventions often remain localized. WEN-Africa’s role as a platform for systematic knowledge exchange was therefore seen as essential for accelerating progress. By sharing evidence-based practices and practical implementation experience, partners can reduce learning curves and avoid repeating ineffective approaches.

Collectively, these lessons reinforced a central message of the conference: partnerships are most effective when they move beyond advocacy and actively shape how energy systems are planned, financed, and managed. For WEN-Africa, this insight provides a clear pathway forward—strengthening collaborative frameworks that translate shared commitments into measurable, sector-wide change.

National Commitment and Regional Momentum

The Lomé conference clearly demonstrated that progress on gender equality in the energy sector is increasingly anchored in national ownership, reinforced through coordinated regional collaboration. The presence and active engagement of government leadership sent a strong signal that gender inclusion is now being treated as a strategic pillar of national energy agendas rather than an auxiliary social objective. This shift in positioning is significant, as national policy direction and institutional tone ultimately shape how inclusive practices are adopted across utilities, regulators, and project delivery agencies.

National representatives emphasized that translating commitments into tangible outcomes requires deliberate alignment between policy intent and implementation mechanisms. Legal and regulatory frameworks must explicitly enable women’s participation, while public institutions must ensure these frameworks are reflected in recruitment pipelines, technical training programs, leadership development initiatives, and project governance structures. Where this alignment is present, gender inclusion moves from aspiration to execution.

Key national-level enablers highlighted during the discussions included:

• Clear policy mandates linking gender objectives to energy sector performance.
• Leadership ownership within ministries, utilities, and regulators.
• Integration of gender indicators into workforce planning and project oversight.
• Dedicated institutional coordination between energy, education, and labor authorities.

Alongside strong national commitment, the conference underscored the accelerating value of regional momentum. Many of the structural challenges discussed—skills gaps, limited leadership representation, and unequal access to technical roles—are common across sub-Saharan Africa. Addressing them in isolation risks fragmentation and uneven progress. By convening diverse national experiences, WEN-Africa enables countries to benchmark approaches, exchange practical lessons, and align their efforts around shared regional priorities.

Participants noted that regional collaboration adds tangible value by:

• Enabling peer learning across countries facing similar institutional constraints.
• Supporting harmonization of gender-responsive practices across energy systems.
• Creating scale for capacity-building and leadership development initiatives.
• Strengthening the collective voice for inclusive energy transitions at regional and global forums.

The engagement of senior policymakers, including Togo’s leadership, reinforced that inclusive energy transitions depend on sustained political will. Their contributions highlighted that women’s full participation is essential to building resilient, future-ready energy systems capable of supporting economic growth, innovation, and social development. In this context, the Lomé conference represented a convergence of national resolve and regional ambition—positioning WEN-Africa as a critical bridge between policy commitment and coordinated, continent-wide action.

The Way Forward

As WEN-Africa moves beyond the Lomé conference, the focus now shifts to deepening impact. Priorities emerging from the discussions include strengthening country-level engagement, expanding technical and leadership development opportunities, and reinforcing partnerships that link gender inclusion directly to energy outcomes.

The Lomé conference reaffirmed that gender equality in energy is both a development imperative and a strategic necessity. Through sustained collaboration and shared accountability, WEN-Africa is well positioned to continue supporting an energy transition that delivers opportunity, resilience, and inclusive growth across Africa.