Managing Director of Tullow Ghana Limited and Executive Vice President of Tullow Oil Plc, Kweku Awotwi, has called on firms within the oil and gas sector to deliberately design gender policies to boost women’s participation and presence within the industry.
According to him, young women ought to be encouraged to take up courses in the sciences, and mentored to develop interest in the energy sector.
“Of course, companies themselves must establish gender policies that ensure women are empowered and feel comfortable working in our industry.”
“At Tullow, for instance, we are proud of our SMART working approach, which allows women and men alike to align to the demands of work with the demands of life,” he said.
He was speaking at the launch of Women in Energy-Ghana, a platform of individuals and companies committed to advancing women’s leadership and participation in the energy sector.
Mr. Awotwi also stated that for women’s under-representation to be curbed, more young girls must be encouraged to take up positions that are often seen as male-dominated.
“One way is to support and promote STEM education and programmes for women, grow our female human resource and build their capacity for what some might describe as complex fields of endeavour. How do we do this? We believe it is important to start early in the education process to encourage our young women in the sciences,” he said.
According to the Global Energy Talent Index (GETI) report, which surveyed more than 20,000 people across the oil and gas industry in 2018, women make up 10% of the global energy workforce in oil and gas, renewables, petrochemical, power and nuclear sectors.
The situation is no different in Ghana with available data pointing to similar disparities as Ghana is yet to have a female Minister, substantive or Deputy, of Petroleum, Power or Energy.
Additionally, a 2018 study on gender representation in the petroleum sector, by energy policy NGO, Ghana Oil and Gas for Inclusive Growth, revealed that there were only three female chairs on 33 boards surveyed, with only five of those boards having more than one woman represented.
To help improve this situation, Mr. Awotwi further stated that, achieving greater gender diversity in the energy industry will not be easy, adding that, the platform, represented by this Women in Energy launch – is an important means that will help bridge this gap.
He challenged the women to take advantage of the platform – use it to network and learn about the opportunities and challenges that the energy industry offers.
Kadijah Amoah heads Aker Energy Ghana as first Ghanaian woman to lead an oil firm
On January 31, 2020, Aker Energy AS appointed Mrs. Kadijah Amoah as Country Director of Aker Energy Ghana Ltd, effective 1 February 2020.
The appointment follows Aker Energy’s strategy to strengthen the company’s local presence and management in Ghana.
By this, she became the first Ghanaian woman to lead an oil firm operating in the country since Ghana started commercial production almost a decade ago.
