Globally, women account for just 22% of all employees in the oil and gas industry, with figures worsening when measuring representation in more senior posts. The breakdown includes women filling 27% of all entry-level positions, 25% of mid-career roles, 17% of senior and executive-level roles, and a mere 1% of CEO positions. Gender diversity is also lacking in energy technical and field roles with women filling 50% of entry-level office support positions and just 15% of all entry-level field and technical posts.
With the MSGBC energy sector at a critical early juncture in advancing gas megadevelopments, this early phase serves as prime opportunity to address the disparity in female representation in the energy sector workforce. The working lunch session on the first day of the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power Conference’s program is set to attract the top women in the industry, both globally and regionally, to lead talks on this key issue and to locate gender diversity as a core policy item for consideration in the energy sector’s integrated development.
H.E. Sophie Gladima, Senegal’s Minister of Petroleum and Energies, has already been confirmed as a keynote speaker. She is a leading force behind H.E. President Macky Sall’s landmark Emerging Senegal Plan, the national energy transition and local content as well as an icon for women in energy across Africa.
“The MSGBC region has a unique opportunity to start strong with gender diversity in its emerging energy sector. The machismo of global power has kept women out of the workforce for too long, but here in west Africa we are seeing promising signs of reform – the Mauritanian government is building-in female workforce participation with new local content laws, for instance. The MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power conference will cement this early progress, with more ambitious goals in Africa’s energy future,” states Sandra Jeque, International Conference Director, ECP.
