A Light Bulb turns on for Women's Advancement

By USAID

"When Fatima Oyiza Ademoh of Nigeria arrived in California in June to attend the Power Africa/Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Energy Institute, she expected the gender component of the trainings to offer the usual information on how energy access impacts women and men differently.

However, she was struck by a few things. Half of her class was made up of other African women working in the energy sector, and the number of issues that affect women were much larger than even she realized. Fatima says a light bulb turned on as she realized that gender gaps exist beyond the well-known dangers of rural cooking methods that cause severe health problems for women and girls.

"The session introduced me to a whole new dimension: the economic and technical aspects of gender issues in large- and small-scale energy projects,” Fatima said. “This is immensely useful for me to think about as I develop [my own] mini-grid projects in rural off-grid communities in Nigeria. It will help me develop a more gender-responsive business model as I scale up my business."

The Energy Institute, hosted at the University of California, Davis, was developed by Power Africa for energy sector professionals supported by the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Fatima is one of 25 recipients of the Mandela Washington Fellowship."

Read more at UC Davis News.