Africa-Press – Lesotho. THE Ministry of Energy has encouraged women to break gender-based barriers in the energy sector.
Speaking at an event to celebrate Women’s Month in Maseru last Friday, the ministry’s principal secretary ’Masekhobe Seeiso-Moholobela said more women should participate in the energy sector.
She said the issues of gender in the energy sector are crucial because energy affects women and men differently.
“This makes access, use, and impact of energy services different for women and men,’’ she said.
“Gender roles, mostly defined by sociocultural expectations and behaviours, determine women and men’s role and relationships as energy providers and users,” she said.
Seeiso-Moholobela said women should participate in the energy market and in decision-making processes.
She said at a technical level, studies had revealed that the majority of technicians and engineers are men, while most of the women occupy supportive positions.
She said with the female component of the total population of Lesotho standing at more than 50 percent, “we will be ignoring a powerful social force at our own peril”.
“We need to accelerate our efforts to transform the unequal social and economic relations that continue to exist between men and women in the energy sector,” she said.
One of the women entrepreneurs in the energy sector, Morongoe Tlali from One Power Project, said their project has managed to establish over 11 programmes which are now in operation.
Tlali said they have another power energy programme which provides energy to health facilities.
She said this project serves remote areas where there is no electricity.
She said they serve a population of 12 000 households and 800 businesses.
She said they also have a population of 200 in the village of Ha-Makebe, in the Berea district.
The founding director of Technology for Economic Development, ’Mantopi Lebofa, said the government together with the private sector and private organisations have to collaborate to create a conducive environment in the energy sector.
Lebofa said 60 percent of the population uses wood.
This calls for the ministry of energy to set policies which regulate the use of our natural resources.
She said women should be motivated to protect nature while using wood at the same time.
“Relevant authorities should bring closer the energy sources to communities,’’ Lebofa said.
The marketing manager at MOSET, Lisemelo Mokorose, said their goal is to see women being capacitated with necessary tools to partake in renewable energy.
Mokorose said they are already partnering with banks to financially assist women in the sector.
The Public Relations Officer at Women in Sustainable Energy Lesotho, ’Matseleng Malataliana-Sepiriti, said their organisation is aligned with the sustainable development goals.
Malataliana-Sepiriti said they realised that most women are scared to tap into this industry since they believe it requires physical energy.
She encouraged more women to enroll in engineering schools.
“Women are the key energy users in households and businesses,” Malataliana-Sepiriti said.
“Women should strive to be job creators in this industry not only consumers,” she said.
Moreover, Seeiso-Moholobela said the status of the private sector is not satisfactory where the representation of women and men in senior management in comparison with the public sector is 44 percent and 56 percent respectively.
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