World Bank (WB) Vice President for Middle East and North Africa Ferid Belhaj called on Friday for the need to create more jobs for young people in the private sector, since the public sector alone cannot meet the increased demand for employability in this category.
“By 2050, there will be no fewer than 300 million young people looking for work in the MENA region,” Belhaj recalled on the second day of the conference of the Regional Network in Energy for Women in the Middle East and North Africa Region (RENEW MENA), hosted in Tunis on June 22-23.
Behaj pointed out the crucial role played by women in the economies of the region’s countries, asserting the need to improve training for women, notably in the energy transition sector.
To achieve this, governments need to offer women incentives aimed at boosting economic empowerment and entrepreneurship.
WB Regional Director of Infrastructure for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Paul Noumba Um said the conference aims to encourage women to get involved in the energy sector, which is dominated by men.
The participation rate of women in the energy sector in the MENA region does not exceed 15%, whereas this rate should be between 30 and 40%, especially as women are highly skilled,” he added.
The policy-makers in the energy sector and women leaders in the field, meeting on the first day of the conference held at the initiative of the World Bank, stressed the fundamental importance of public policies to actively encourage women’s participation, notably in management and leadership positions.
They considered it vital for the public sector to play a leading and exemplary role, by collaborating with the private sector to create favourable opportunities for women.
Feedback from experiences has shown that ending gender disparities to achieve parity within companies can only boost their productivity and profitability.
The results of a study conducted by RENEW MENA and presented on the first day of the conference revealed a wide gender gap in the region’s energy sector.
The representation of women in this sector does not exceed 15%, which is far from the target of parity, and even below the annual average recorded worldwide, which is around 22%.
The conference agenda includes a RENEW Awards ceremony to recognise and reward outstanding achievements in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in the energy sector.
According to the organiser, the RENEW awards will help inspire more actors in the energy sector to take concrete steps to empower women and support their active participation in the energy transition.
The Regional Network in Energy for Women in the Middle East and North Africa Region (RENEW MENA) was launched in June 2022 by the World Bank (WB) as a regional platform to boost women’s role in energy by harnessing the recognised potential of women professional networks to access role models, provide and receive mentorship, build confidence, and create safe spaces.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse