Ethiopia: Expanding Opportunities for Women in the Electricity Sector

The Ethiopia Electric Utility (EEU) is working to increase women's representation in the electricity sector, targeting 30% female employment by 2023. These efforts include STEM scholarships, internships, the establishment of childcare centers, and the creation of policies to combat sexual harassment and gender-based violence. The program is supported by a $4.5 million allocation within the Ethiopia Electrification Program (ELEAP), funded by the World Bank and other grants.

• The Ethiopia Electric Utility (EEU) has set a target to reach 30% female employment by 2023, aiming to increase the number of women in leadership, decision-making positions, and STEM-related roles by 25% to 30%.
• As of late 2019, women were significantly underrepresented in the EEU, making up 19.2% of the workforce (3,270 women) and only 9% of managerial and leadership positions.
• To build a pipeline of qualified female workers, the EEU partnered with 12 universities and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education to provide STEM courses, offered 44 master's degree scholarships for staff, and provided internships to 40 female graduate students.
• The EEU addressed structural barriers to female employment by creating the utility's first policies on sexual harassment and gender-based violence and planning the opening of 20 childcare centers by 2020.
• Financial support for these gender equity and citizen engagement initiatives is provided through a $4.5 million allocation within the $375 million Ethiopia Electrification Program (ELEAP) budget, supported by the World Bank, the State and Peacebuilding Fund, and the ESMAP Africa Gender and Energy Program.

APA

World Resources Institute (2021). Ethiopia: Expanding Opportunities for Women in the Electricity Sector. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/ethiopia-expanding-opportunities-women-electricity-sector

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Ethiopia: Expanding Opportunities for Women in the Electricity Sector. 2021. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/ethiopia-expanding-opportunities-women-electricity-sector.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Ethiopia: Expanding Opportunities for Women in the Electricity Sector |date=1 April 2021 |url=https://www.wri.org/snapshots/ethiopia-expanding-opportunities-women-electricity-sector |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2021ethiopia, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Ethiopia: Expanding Opportunities for Women in the Electricity Sector}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.wri.org/snapshots/ethiopia-expanding-opportunities-women-electricity-sector}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }