By Moses Patience Chat
The African Energy Chamber (AEC) on Thursday said it has launched what it called “The African Women Business Energy Network (AWBEN),” describing it as a new initiative that is meant to celebrate women in the energy sector and also empower them.
This was announced by the Executive Chairman (EC) of the Chamber, NJ Ayuk, while marking the International Women’s Day celebration.
According to him, AWBEN is a platform created to advocate for women towards career advancement in the energy industry by connecting them with women-owned businesses in the African region, and with highly competitive market opportunities and multinational buyers.
Ayuk said that the energy industry lacks women representation and AWBEN has been established to tackle these challenges.
He also added that the initiative seeks to propagate the advancement of women in energy and women-owned businesses in Africa and to drive direct business- money into the hands of women in the region.
According to the AEC helmsman, the major initiatives of AWBEN include “inciting collaboration among African women in the energy industry, hosting mentorship programs and empowering women to take ownership of their personal and professional development.
AWBEN is also expected to help in providing coaching and sponsorship opportunities to girls in STEM, create avenues to encourage more African women-participation in leadership roles in the energy industry, and to leverage digital technology to enhance participation.
The ideals being advanced by Ayuk and AEC coincide with the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, which is “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality.”
“We need to empower more African women to benefit from the oil and gas industry, whether we are talking about opportunities for boots on the ground jobs at drill sites, professional positions, leadership roles or business opportunities for women-owned enterprises,” Ayuk concluded.
