Gender
Experts call for inclusion of women in upstream petroleum sector
Nana Darko
Experts in the energy sector have advocated a deliberate inclusiveness policy for women in the upstream petroleum sector to promote equity in Ghana’s search for gender balance in the industry.
They further suggested a policy to address the gaps in gender parity to attaining the role of all persons, particularly people with disability, in the sector that hold huge potentials for the Ghanaian population.
The experts made the submission during a panel discussions on “Building a diverse, equitable and inclusive future for Ghana’s petroleum sector” at the just-ended Local Content Conference and Exhibition (LCCE) held in Takoradi, in the Western Region.
The discussions were moderated by Dr Jemima Nunoo, Member of the Local Content Committee at the Petroleum Commission (PC).
Head of Community Relations, PC, Nana Ekua Sakyiwaa Darko, for her part, noted that, society should overcome the challenges in the promotion of inclusiveness in the upstream petroleum sector, including people living with disability.
She argued that PWDs need information and also be assured that the offshore petroleum facilities and space were disability -friendly especially in high rise buildings.
Ms Darko added that, realising these ideals meant the industry should make conscious efforts to ensure the inclusivity of the marginalised.
Ms Darko believes that “With these efforts and collaboration, we will whet the appetite of women in the sciences which appears to be male- dominated, with STEM and oil companies’ allocation of scholarships to students. We are working hard. It’s an issue with motivation and not someone giving us a favour.”
A Senior Geoscientist, at the Petroleum Commission, Modesty, submitted that agenda for inclusiveness should include an industry policy for companies to award scholarships to encourage women.
She explained to participants that students need not change their career of study generally, for technical subjects and that the industry provided spaces for finance, banking and economics, stressing there are more opportunities.”
A Petroleum Engineer at the PC, Dziedzorm Bedzrah, also said, “Women should be given the opportunity to demonstrate their great ideas, latent talents and skills to serve as a motivation, make the industry attractive, foster drive and improve image and content oil and gas industry.
The CEO of PC, Egbert Faibille, observed that inclusiveness of women was key, but, noted the decision should also factor the situation where women “are their own enemies.”
From Clement Adzei Boye, Takoradi
Gender equality should not be left to women alone, but requires the active participation of men and other stakeholders, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has said.
She said gender equality was a national development issue and not a matter concerning only women, stressing that both men and women had important roles to play in creating an inclusive society.
Dr Lartey said this last Thursday in Accra at a capacity workshop on the implementation of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024.
The workshop was aimed at helping journalists understand the provisions of the Act, strengthen their capacity to communicate gender equity issues and promote accurate, balance reporting on the implementation of the Act.
Ghana could not achieve meaningful development if one section of society was excluded from participating fully in leadership, decision-making and other areas of national development.
“It is not about a group of people. It is not about one of the sexes. It is about the nation. It is about the country,” she said.
She called for stronger commitment to translating the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121), into practical action to improve women’s participation in leadership and decision-making.
She said the passage of the law should not be considered the end of the process, but rather the beginning of deliberate efforts to ensure that its objectives were achieved.
Dr Lartey said increasing the number of women in leadership was important, but their participation must also have a meaningful impact on national development.
“We want it to count,” she stressed, calling for practical initiatives that would move the affirmative action agenda from policy to implementation.
The Executive Director of Women, Media and Change (WOMEC), Dr Charity Binka, also urged the media to play a critical role in ensuring the effective implementation of the Act.
She said Ghana had taken an important step by passing the law after 13 years of efforts, but the real test was its implementation.
According to Dr Binka, the Act requires 30 per cent representation of women in leadership and decision-making by 2026, rising to 50 per cent by 2030.
She urged the media to inform the public about the law, monitor institutions’ compliance and challenge stereotypes that undermine women’s leadership.
Dr Binka urged journalists to ensure institutions were complying with requirements, including Gender Equity Policies, Compliance Certificates and annual reports.
She said affirmative action was not about replacing merit with gender, but addressing structural barriers that had historically limited qualified women’s opportunities to participate and lead.
She called for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, traditional and religious leaders, the private sector, the media and other stakeholders to turn the law into measurable results for women and girls.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
The United Nations has warned, that Gender equality is “woefully off track.”
At the current rate of progress, gender equality would take 171 years to achieve, the UN’s Gender Snapshot report said.
The number of countries with a woman as head of state or government has increased from 2020 to 2026. “Yet six in seven countries are still led by men.
Women’s representation in national cabinets declined to 22.4 per cent in 2026, after peaking at 23.3 per cent in 2024,” the report said. “The decline is a warning sign that gains cannot be taken for granted, and that progress towards equal political power remains fragile.”
Funding for gender equality has fallen to its lowest level since 2021, the report found. At the same time, 42 per cent of UN agencies reported that their efforts to promote gender equality had been weakened, as a result of budget cuts.
Millions of women also continued to endure some extremely severe forms of violence and discrimination across the globe, the UN said. Nearly one in five girls is married before the age of 18, and nearly one in three women globally have survived partner or sexual violence in their lifetime.
In the past year, 316 million women experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, the report said.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua, said the statistics were not inevitable. “It is the result of choices, made visible through data. Investing in gender equality, institutions, and the statistical systems that hold them to account is not a cost. It is the fastest route back to the 2030 Agenda’s promise of equal power for all.”-GNA
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