WOMEN APPOINTMENT IN ENERGY SECTOR LEADERSHIP
…“Women have capacity to lead energy sector companies both government and private owned. Currently, there is only one woman Managing Director among the top 10 OMCs in Zambia. No woman has ever held position of Managing Director at Zesco/ Rural Electrification Authority (REA)/CEC.”
IN the recent past, there has been some changes in the energy sector following change of Government. At the Ministry of Energy, there was a woman career civil servant called Ms. Veronica Mwiche who not too long ago was promoted from being Director.
She has been replaced by another woman who is also a career civil servant who got promoted from the position of Director within the same Ministry - Ms. Francesca C. Zyambo. This is commendable from a women empowerment and competence point of view.
The energy sector has been dominated by men from time immemorial. Both the electricity and the petroleum subsectors have been held captive by men even when we now have a significant pool of skilled and experienced women.
This does not only apply to State-owned Enterprises (SoEs) or quasi government agencies in the sector but also to private sector oil and electricity companies.
In the oil industry, there has been male Managing Directors until late last year when Total Zambia appointed a female expatriate as Managing Director.
This is the only female Managing Director among the top 10 oil brands in Zambia if not the only one among all licensed oil companies. Having served in this industry both in and outside the country, I have met extremely competent women who can occupy positions at the top level.
While most of the oil companies are in private hands, Government can through affirmative action encourage shareholders; foreign and local to be rotating appointments.
Government also owns oil companies such as Tazama Pipeline, Indeni and Tazama Oil. There has never been a woman who has ever ascended to the apex of these state-owned oil companies.
There is no one who can convince me that we do not have competent women who can run these companies. We have perpetuated a masculine atmosphere to the detriment of women. There is need to rethink and correct this status quo.
The private sector takes its cue from Government actions. If Government cannot demonstrate more appointments of women in the energy sector, it will be very difficult for women to ascend to alpha positions in the private energy sector.
How can it be that in over 50 years of existence of some of these government-owned energy companies (petroleum and electricity), no woman has ever seen light of day in the alpha position?
For the record’s sake, I am not doubting the capacity of the gallant men who have served or are serving at the apex of the various companies in the energy sector.
My firm conviction is that we now have a significant pool of highly skilled and competent women who are equal to the task. Leadership has now evolved. You do not need to know the second law of Thermodynamics to serve others.”
Zesco Limited has received a new Managing Director - Mr. Victor Mapani; very competent and experienced. I congratulate him and wish him well.
I also congratulate the newly appointed Zesco Board. Zesco has been given to a male. It is my fervent prayer that women will receive favourable consideration for the remaining government energy companies and quasi agencies in the energy sector when opportunities arise.
By this prayer, I do not mean there are no men who can do the job. There is a lot of them and highly competent for that matter but for gender equality’s sake, it will be a significant milestone to see women lead some of these institutions.
Zesco has never been led by a woman. The Rural Electrification Authority (REA) in its almost 20 years of existence has never been led by a woman.
Since its establishment over 25 years ago, the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) has had one female Director General, Ms. Langiwe Hope Lungu whose contract was terminated a few months ago. And for the first time, we also had the first woman Board chairperson at ERB.
As things stand, we have a female Permanent Secretary at the nexus surrounded by men at the apex of various government-controlled energy sector companies and quasi government institutions.
And a closer analysis of the sector reveals that even from a business point of view, the sector does business more with men than with women. This is an over $2 billion industry per year yet women involvement remains peripheral.
At one time, there was Ms Dora Siliya as Minister of Energy; the second woman to have headed the Ministry of Energy 20 years after Ms Edith Zewelani Nawakwi became the first woman to head the ministry.
During the reign of Ms Siliya at the Ministry of Energy, there was a woman Permanent Secretary in the same ministry by the name of Brigadier General Emeldah Chola; one of the longest serving Permanent Secretaries at a ministry where average tour of duty has been 18 months. With a woman at the helm of ERB, woman Permanent Secretary and woman Minister of Energy, the axis of energy sector leadership was perfectly in the hands of women for the first time in this country. I wonder if this axis of leadership will ever be achieved again.
The energy sector is one such sector where women have struggled to penetrate and will continue to do so without affirmative action to deliberately assist them do business in the sector and occupy more leadership positions.
I have confidence that we have a lot of capable women who can effectively manage to run energy sector organisations in the petroleum subsector, electricity subsector and fuel transportation business.
We long to see women Managing Directors in the oil industry including in the multinational oil companies regardless of nationality, fuel transportation companies and electricity companies.
Yes, some organisations are technical in nature and naturally, they have been led by technical male professionals but we now have more woman with technical experience and qualifications.
On the other hand, there are several companies in the energy sector including private sector which do not require a technical background for them to lead.
Women have gathered enough fire wood for thousands of years. It is high time, they are given a bit more space in the sector whether in Government, quasi government agencies or in private sector.
Let them gather electricity and petroleum instead of firewood. They have the capacity to lead operations successfully. It will take affirmative action to reserve some procurement lots exclusively for women owned companies and ensure their implementation.
It is not a deniable fact that women face significant challenges in their careers compared with men hence the need to support them.
Perhaps the ongoing energy sector reforms must ensure that they include affirmative action which will take women participation in the sector to another level.
One of the regional countries which has done relatively well in this area is South Africa which has entrenched women participation in the sector through enhanced affirmative action. There is need to learn from best practices of other countries.