Gambia Targets Gender Equity in Renewable Energy Transition

The report, titled Women as Key Partners, maps out a roadmap for 2026–2030 to bridge the stark divide between existing gender policies and actual implementation. Currently, the landscape is defined by deep inequality: while urban electricity access sits at 85%, rural regions languish between 35% and 40%. Within the National Water and Electricity Company, female representation remains at a marginal 1%. Research across all seven regions of the country reveals that limited access to land, finance, and STEM education, coupled with cultural barriers, continues to stifle female participation.

Despite these hurdles, the strategy identifies untapped potential in existing solar cooperatives and clean-cookstove businesses. To scale these successes, the plan mandates five priority areas: policy reform, vocational training, expanded mentorship, improved financing, and community engagement. Nathalie Gisabo Gahunga of the African Development Bank emphasized that the goal is full equality, requiring technologies specifically designed to meet the everyday realities of women. Saikou JC Trawally, representing the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, framed the report as a foundational milestone, urging government agencies and the private sector to move beyond rhetoric toward an inclusive framework for sustainable development.