RENEWABLE ENERGYEfforts and Benefits ofMainstreaming Gender in the SADC Renewable Energy Sector

FACTSHEET 1

Introduction and Effective Practices

“Gender mainstreaming is much more than a women’s issue; it is the basisfor establishing a level of equality between women and men that can help tostimulate economic growth, create higher level jobs, support communities,raise productivity and reduce poverty.” (UNIDO, 2014)

Mainstreaming gender in the energy sector means creating space for equal oppor-tunities for women and men to reach full potential and contribute meaningfullytowards sustainable development. A focus on increasing participation by womenshould be a top priority for reforming the energy sector. Increasing the numberof women in decision-making positions can increase gender sensitivity in findingsolutions to problems affecting the energy sector.

ENERGY PLAYS a pivotal role in the devel-opment agenda of southern Africa. Ac-cess to affordable, reliable and modernenergy is critical in advancing the indus-trialization agenda and addressing devel-opment challenges such as poverty, genderinequalities and food insecurity. Access to energy can be seen as a lib-

erating factor for women, a key enablingfactor to allow women and men to partic-ipate in economic development. Mostwomen and girls in southern Africa spendtheir time on basic tasks that are time-con-suming, non-remunerative and highly la-borious, such as collecting biomass fuels,without access to modern energy services.This further exacerbates gender in-

equalities as many women, especially inrural and peri-urban areas, are unable toaccess wage employment, education orbusiness opportunities due to these re-sponsibilities, and this also limits optionsfor social and political interaction outsidethe household.

In most Member States of the SouthernAfrican Development Community(SADC), women and girls are largely re-sponsible for household and communityactivities including energy provision, andthus are the primary energy producers aswell as the end users at household level.The limited participation of women indesigning home energy systems, resourceaccess, and decision-making at nationaland regional levels is a major challengewithin the gender and energy nexus. Energy production, procurement,

transportation and distribution further

perpetuate gender imbalances. The pri-mary source of energy for rural commu-nities is fuel wood which may be sourcedmore than five kilometres away fromhomesteads. This has a negative impacton women, not only in travelling longdistances on foot but women normallycarry heavy loads of firewood on theirheads, which can compromise physicalhealth and wellbeing. In some situationswhere collecting firewood is restrictedthrough formal regulations, women arevulnerable to harassment or fines for il-legal firewood collection.The SADC region has vast energy

potential from solar, wind, nuclear,hydro, thermal, gas and petroleumsources. However, biomass is by far themajor source of energy. Traditional bio-mass such as wood and charcoal accountfor more than 45 percent of final energyconsumption in the region and if mod-ern biomass, such as bagasse for boilersin the sugar industry, is included, theoverall biomass share reaches more than57 percent (REN21, 2015).

The absence of basic labour-saving de-vices and clean technologies such asfuel-efficient stoves burdens women inpoorer households and prevents themfrom doing other productive activities.Although cheap and affordable, the useof biomass for cooking also has serioushealth implications. Most of the population of the SADC

region is affected by household air pollutionfrom indoor smoke, according to the WorldHealth Organization, and the majority of

those affected are women. Household Air Pollution(HAP) includes principally carbon monoxide and par-ticulate matter, which are products of incomplete com-bustion and are hazardous to health, resulting in thedeath of more than 150,000 people each year. Almosthalf of the casualties are children. (REN21, 2015).

Benefits of Access to Renewable EnergyMainstreaming gender in renewable energy has anumber of benefits that improve the livelihoods ofboth women and men. Access to modern energyservices frees the time of women and girls to con-centrate on other economic and social pursuits suchas investing in entrepreneurial and educational activ-

ities. The use of clean energy gives women, men andchildren a lifeline from potentially hazardous condi-tions associated with traditional forms of biomass.

Considerable evidence has shown that main-streaming gender in the renewable energy sector im-proves the effectiveness of results, drawing on a

broader pool of participants, with more ben-efits for women as well as men.

Improved LivelihoodsFor mainstreaming gender in the renewableenergy sector, women’s needs can be classi-fied as practical (ensuring daily survival), pro-ductive (income generation), and strategic(changing position in society to gain greaterequality with men, towards empowerment). The practical aspect involves, for example,

household lighting, improved cooking stovesand other technologies. The productive aspectenhances income generation, for examplethrough improved technologies such as food-drying installations and electric sewing-ma-chines, and increased skills and knowledge suchas marketing strategies for improved cookstoves. Street lighting is strategic in that it al-lows women greater freedom of movementafter dark. Some examples and results of dif-ferent energy forms are shown in the table.

Social Services DeliveryMainstreaming gender in the renewable energysector contributes to social services delivery,for health and education. Access to electricityreduces the rate of maternal mortality throughthe provision of electricity or other forms ofmodern renewable energy in clinics and hos-pitals, especially in rural areas. This reduces therisk of maternal and infant mortality, throughmore lighting in rooms during delivery and theuse of advanced equipment and technologies.Access to renewable energies contributes tobetter educational facilities where boys and girlswill have access to lighting for studies. Moregirls will be allowed to attend school if they donot have to perform essentials of collectingwood and water.

Modern Energy ServicesRenewable energy can play an important role in in-creasing access to modern energy services, which freeswoman’s time from domestic tasks, permits homestudy and reading, enables access to educational mediaand communications in schools and at home, miti-gates the impacts of indoor air pollution on women,

Renewable Energy Meeting the Needs of Women Energy Form Issues Practical Productive Strategic

Electricity

Improved Biomass (supply and conversion technology) Mechanical

v pumping of watersupplies

v powering mills forgrinding

v lighting to improveworking conditions athome

v protection of healththrough use of betterstoves

v less time and effort spenton gathering firewood

v milling and grinding v transport of water and

crops

v increase activitiesduring eveninghours

v refrigeration for foodproduction and sale

v power forenterprises such ashair salons andinternet cafes

v more time forproductive activities

v lower cost of heat forincome-generatingactivities

v increases the varietyof enterprises

v make streets safer to allow participation inactivities such asmeetings and eveningclasses

v opening horizonsthrough radio, TV andinternet

v control of naturalforests in communityforestry managementframeworks

v transport facilitatesopportunities forsocial, commercial andpolitical interaction

Impact of Cooking With Solid Fuels on Household Air Pollution in SADC, 2012 Share of Population using Number of People Number of Deaths Solid Fuels for Cooking (%) Affected by HAP per Year from HAPAngola 56 11 659 494 7 804Botswana 37 741 447 311DRC* 93 61 105 736 53 202Lesotho* 62 1 271 958 1 869Madagascar* 98 21 848 036 16 375Malawi 97 15 429 289 13 250Mozambique 96 24 195 259 12 858Namibia 55 1 242 666 1 056South Africa 13 6 654 610 7 623Swaziland* 62 763 211 714Tanzania 96 45 871 783 20 353Zambia 83 11 682 332 8 629Zimbabwe 70 9 607 022 9 158SADC 212 072 843 153 229Data from Mauritius and Seychelles not included. * figures estimated by World Health Organization

Clancy, 2000

REN21, 2015

allows access to better medical facilities for maternalcare, and permits income-generating activities. By tak-ing a gender approach, renewable energy suppliers canincrease their potential client base and the sustainabilityin use of their technologies.

Barriers in Access to Renewable EnergyThe role of women in the renewable energy sector isundefined, with the usual portrayal as passive end-usersonly. Women play a critical role in energy provision andconsumption within households and possess valuableknowledge relevant to sustainable energy solutions. Dueto cultural stereotypes women are excluded from par-ticipation in energy markets and also disqualified fromrelevant pro-poor, public private partnerships. Women in most cases do not have the same ac-

cess as men to the decision-making for adoption ofclean energy technology, and women in rural areashave less access to this process than urban women.The lack of attention to women-centred approachesin the energy sector in the region can be explained inpart by a lack of awareness of the need for gendermainstreaming — due to the absence of gender dis-aggregated data, little awareness of the benefits to begained from incorporating gender analysis into energyproject design, and a lack of capacity for gender main-streaming in the energy sector (Clancy, 2000).Women in rural and peri-urban areas are generally

not aware of Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs)and do not have information on suppliers and re-source availability. RETs remain a costly source of en-ergy for communities as the intended beneficiaries arein the low-income bracket. Most women in southernAfrica, especially in rural areas, cannot afford the up-front costs for solar home systems, lanterns and im-proved cook stoves in the absence of smart subsidies,or low interest loans and loan guarantees. Women are affected by the lack of green policies

targeted at improving the informal sector yet the infor-mal sector accounts for a large portion of the GrossDomestic Product in many SADC Member States. Theinformal sector is energy intensive, and is highly popu-lated by women (Mabebe-Wright, 2014). Women areoften excluded from skills and clean energy technologyprograms and projects that have the potential to im-prove their lives. Other challenges include inadequateuse of effective legislative and regulatory frameworksthat would support market development. The regional trend at the critical decision-making

level in the energy sector is more inclined towards men,with women occupying less than 10 percent of mostgovernance structures in this regard. This imbalance inthe decision-making structures of the energy sectorcould hamper women’s access to renewable energy unlessclear policy frameworks are agreed and implemented.

Effective Practices The 15-member Economic Community of WestAfrican States (ECOWAS), with a mandate of pro-moting economic integration in all fields of activityof the constituting countries of West Africa, has de-veloped a forward-looking policy that prioritizes gen-der and women-centred approaches in all facets ofenergy and renewable energy development in the re-gion. ECOWAS considers that the challenges of gen-der inequality in the energy sector originate almostentirely from the lack of gender considerations in theplanning process. ECOWAS therefore seeks to recog-nize the main challenges and constraints for genderequality in energy access at three levels: v the political level v the level of the energy supplier, be it a public-purpose or private market actor, and

v the level of the energy consumer. A result of this strategy was the launch of the

ECOWAS Program on Gender Mainstreaming in En-ergy Access (ECOW-GEN) developed by ECREEEas a standalone ECOWAS program with a specialisedfocus on complementing regional efforts to improvesustainable energy for all.

To institutionalize the interventions being im-plemented through ECOW-GEN, ECREEE teamedup with the ECOWAS Department of Social Affairsand Gender and formulated a policy that commitsthe Member States to take concrete actions towardthe elimination of all forms of inequality in energyproduction and consumption in the ECOWAS re-gion.

The overall vision of the ECOWAS Policy forGender Mainstreaming in Energy Access is a worldwhere men and women enjoy equal access to modernenergy services that is easily available, affordable andcontributes to high standards of living and economicdevelopment.

Gender Composition of Energy Sector Governance

a Of the 15 SADC Member States, Angola, Malawi and the United Republic of Tanzania are withoutenergy/electricity regulators.b The Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) was established in 1995 to coordinate the planning,generation, transmission and marketing of electricity on behalf of the 12 interconnected SADC MemberState utilities. c The Regional Electricity Regulators Association of Southern Africa (RERA) was established in 2002 tofacilitate the harmonization of regulatory policies, legislation, standards and practices and to be aplatform for effective cooperation among energy regulators within the SADC region. 10 of the 12countries with energy/electricity regulators are members of RERA.

SADC, SARDC, 2016. Mainstreaming Gender in the SADC Energy Sector, Energy in Southern Africa policy brief no. 12

Ministers responsible for energy Heads of power utilities Heads of regulatory institutions in SADCHeads of regional power organizations (SAPPb and RERAc)

Men

1315102

Women

2020

Total

1515

12a2

This is the first regional policy instrument thataims to close gender gaps in the energy sector; to cre-ate awareness and understanding of policymakersabout gender-sensitive policies; to expand businessopportunities; and to encourage information, educa-tion and communication among the Member Statesabout gender and energy. The policy brings in the in-terests of all of the Member States including theirlong-term development goals, and presents concretetargets and timelines for implementation.

Conclusion The inability to consider gendered interests and the dif-ferent needs of men and women can limit the effective-ness of energy programs and policies, as well as otherdevelopment activities that involve energy use. Povertyeradication, increased food production, better health andeducation, more economic opportunities, a safer envi-ronment, and empowerment of women are critical fac-tors that can be addressed through mainstreaminggender in renewable energy initiatives. A nexus of gen-der, poverty and energy has been established. Access tomodern, sustainable energy services can significantly re-duce gender-based time and labour burdens as well asimprove the health conditions and opportunities for en-terprise and capacity-building in communities.

Establishment of Energy Gender Desksand Gender Focal PointsThe new SADC Centre for Renewable Energy andEnergy Efficiency (SACREEE) is encouraged to pro-mote the establishment of Gender/Energy Units orDesks in the relevant ministries of the Member States.The utility of these entities as coordinated by genderfocal points appointed on relevant expertise is thatthey create advocacy programs for general awarenessof the importance of gender mainstreaming in energyaccess. Providing the critical link between policy mak-ers and communities, they can v generate gender responsive indicators for theenergy sector;

v repackage information to enhance availability byvarious stakeholders; and,

v generate gender-responsive statistics.

The presence of gender desks will significantlyclose the gap between the gender mainstreaming dec-larations and the policies of the Energy Protocol, theRISDP, the RIDMP and their strategy delivery valuebecause of the follow-up action by gender focal per-sons through interpretation and practical implemen-tation of programs and projects.

Communication Strategy As the SACREE initiated Gender Action Plan on re-newable energy is developed, it also important that acommunication strategy is established at the start ofproject cycles and used throughout all phases. Thestrategy will be useful to mobilise Member States andstakeholders through knowledge exchange to appre-ciate the processes, and the desired and expected out-comes, of integrating the strategy in national levelinterventions and how these national efforts will ulti-mately contribute to the objectives of regional inte-gration and cooperation.

Participation in Markets for RenewableEnergy The liberalisation of energy markets is opening upnew opportunities for the provision of energy serv-ices. Renewable Energy Service Companies are spring-ing up, many focusing on rural areas, offering thepotential of good incomes. SADC Member Statesshould ensure that women are not excluded fromthese opportunities. Gender focal persons from Mem-ber States can work with the regional apex bodies toovercome the notion that women are not interested intechnical matters. Women need to be empowered withknowledge, confidence and physical resources to makethe contributions effective. A holistic approach isneeded for sharing technical and entrepreneurial skillsand opportunities.

Julius K. Nyerere House

15 Downie Avenue, Belgravia, Harare, Zimbabwe

Tel +263 4 791141 Email sardc@sardc.net

Website www.sardc.net Knowledge for Development

AustrianDevelopment Cooperation

This series of three factsheets on Efforts and Benefits of Mainstreaming Gender in the SADC RenewableEnergy Sector is produced by SARDC through a project funded by the Austrian Development Agency.The information is drawn from the related book of this title. Responsibility for the content of this publicationlies entirely with the authors. The information and analysis do not reflect the official opinion of the AustrianDevelopment Agency. November 2016