AfDB Report Puts Women at the Centre of The Gambia’s Renewable Energy Transition

The study argues that women must become equal partners in the country’s energy transition rather than simply beneficiaries of new energy programmes. It also identifies significant opportunities in clean cooking, skills development and women-led renewable energy businesses.

Energy poverty continues to fall disproportionately on women

The report, titled Women as Key Partners: A Gender-Transformative Renewable Energy Strategy and Action Plan for The Gambia, was prepared by the AfDB in partnership with The Gambia’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare and financed by the Climate Investment Funds.

The study highlights the heavy burden that energy poverty places on women, particularly in rural communities.

A large majority of households continue to rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking, while access to clean cooking technologies remains limited. The report identifies this as both a public health challenge and a major investment gap in modern energy services.

Electricity access also remains uneven between urban and rural areas, leaving many women dependent on unreliable and low-quality energy services.

Despite their central role in household energy use, women remain underrepresented in the institutions shaping the sector. The report notes that women occupy only a small share of positions at the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), highlighting a broader gender imbalance in technical and leadership roles.

Drawing on surveys, focus groups and community consultations across the country, the study concludes that implementation has lagged behind The Gambia’s policy commitments on gender inclusion.

Clean cooking and women-led businesses emerge as investment opportunities

The strategy is built around five priorities: strengthening policies and governance, expanding education and vocational training, improving access to finance, increasing community engagement and building stronger partnerships.

For investors and development finance institutions, these priorities translate into a pipeline of opportunities linked directly to the women energy transition agenda.

The report calls for scholarships, mentorship programmes and vocational training for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, with a particular focus on renewable energy. The objective is to build a domestic workforce capable of supporting solar projects, mini-grids and clean cooking businesses.

Access to finance is identified as another critical area.

The report highlights limited financing, restricted access to training and markets, and social constraints as key barriers preventing women from participating fully in the energy economy.

Addressing these challenges could create opportunities for targeted credit facilities, blended-finance structures and results-based financing mechanisms for women-led enterprises. Potential business areas include solar installation, clean cookstove production and biomass briquette manufacturing.

The strategy also emphasises stronger partnerships to support women’s participation and innovation in renewable energy, helping integrate The Gambia into broader West African clean-energy value chains.

Implementation is scheduled for 2026 to 2030 and will involve cooperation between the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, and several national and international partners.

For investors and policymakers, the report reframes The Gambia’s energy transition as both a social inclusion imperative and a growth opportunity.

The key indicators to watch over the coming years will be increases in women’s participation across the energy workforce, the scaling of women-led clean-energy businesses and greater investment in clean cooking and decentralised solar solutions that directly advance the women energy transition agenda.

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