Green People’s Energy’s Small Project Fund enables recruitment of eight women engineers for technical positions in the Ministry of Energy in Benin. The aim is to increase the visibility of women in the field of renewable energy at the national level and to make the ministry more inclusive.
The candidates are selected into the Unit of Women Engineers through a performance-based application process, which consists of written test and interviews. Eight women engineers, aged between 25 and 35, are selected from a highly competitive applicant pool. Each of them held qualifications in electrical engineering or renewable energy. The successful candidates will play an active role in the Ministry of Energy for at least 12 months. Special support through mentoring and capacity building will be provided to help improve their professional profiles.
A new era thus began on 20 May 2021. The Unit of Women Engineers, Ministry of Energy , Ministry of Microfinance and Social Affairs, and Ministry of Labour and Public Service jointly celebrated and welcome the integration of the women engineers.
This approach is breaking a new ground in the energy sector in Benin. Technical positions, especially in the energy sector, are often unreachable for women. As of 2021, only 1.5% of the technical personnel of governmental energy agencies was women. This is largely due to misconception of the sector, stereotypes related to gender roles, and lack of clear career pathway for women in engineering. The establishment of the Unit of Women Engineers directly opens up new opportunities, not only for the women who were recruited, but also for the public sector, who benefit from better gender balance.
