Posted on :Monday , 29th March 2021

Women farmers in Tanzania have harnessed solar technology to reduce post-harvest losses, improving food security, panellists learned at an Afdb event held in February to launch its Gender and Energy brief on the status of gender mainstreaming in Tanzania’s energy sector.

The brief targets to provide recommendations that will inform policy making by government and other shareholders. Increasing gender equality in access to energy is also expected to create jobs and other opportunities for women in Tanzania’s energy sector.

The Bank organized the virtual workshop in co-operation with the Climate Investment Funds and the International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy (ENERGIA). Participant’s prioritised the importance of carrying out monitoring and impact assessments to assess progress.

“We must focus on integrating gender in energy sector planning,” said Dejene Demissie, the Bank’s Officer in Charge for Tanzania in opening remarks. To help address women’s under representation in energy, Dejene Demissie said the institution had allocated 20% of its USD 2.4 billion Tanzania investment portfolio to the energy sector.

The Bank provides advisory services in addition to financing, and also champion’s data and other knowledge products to raise women’s participation in Tanzania’s energy sector.

Women farmers used solar panels to winnow maize and other grain crops, promoting food security. The development pointed to the growing importance of access to clean energy solutions, particularly for women, said Gisela Ngoo, a Bank gender and social development consultant in Tanzania.

“The availability of solar panels could address the energy needs of women, using the right technologies to improve food security and to narrow the energy provision gaps in Tanzania,” said Gisela Ngoo, who undertook a comprehensive study of gender mainstreaming in the country’s energy sector.

Women’s access to energy varies across the country, which has an electricity connection rate of just 37%.