The ‘Equal by 30’ campaign centers on driving female participation in the global transition to a clean energy future; Africa Oil & Power (AOP) (AfricaOilandPower.com) joins the African Energy Chamber and Centurion Law Group as key signatories on the continent; The events organizer has committed to a series of gender equality-related measures, for which progress will be monitored on an annual basis. 

Africa Oil & Power (AOP) has pledged its commitment to the ‘Equal by 30’ campaign to advance the participation of women in the clean energy transition.

A joint initiative of the Clean Energy, Education and Empowerment Initiative and International Energy Agency, ‘Equal by 30’ engages public and private sector companies and organizations to target equal pay, leadership and opportunities for women in the clean energy sector.

From hiring and procurement to strategy and outreach, the campaign aims to achieve a minimum of 30% female participation across all facets of a participating organization, with progress assessed on a yearly basis.

AOP follows the African Energy Chamber and Centurion Law Group as key signatories on the continent, which pledged their commitments to the campaign earlier this month.

‘AOP is honored to join the ranks of hundreds of progressive companies that are prioritizing gender equality within our industry through their commitment to the ‘Equal by 30’ campaign,’ said Giovanni Trevisson, Director and Board Member. “While AOP has always been committed to the growth and development of women within our organization, who make up more than half of our staff, ‘Equal by 30’ is an invaluable opportunity to extend and further integrate gender-inclusive practices across our value chain.”

To promote the ‘Equal by 30’ campaign and its principles, as well as facilitate the exchange of best practices and knowledge sharing where possible across the African energy sector, AOP has committed to the following objectives:

• To maintain equal representation of women across its staff, aiming for 50% representation at each level (intern, junior, mid-level and senior positions) by 2030.
• To strive for 50% female representation on its Advisory Board by 2030.
• To promote the ‘Equal by 30’ initiative in its internal and external communication materials and efforts.
• To encourage and support companies within the AOP network to become signatories to the ‘Equal by 30’ campaign by providing practical support to help them develop and implement their own ambitious targets.
• To encourage and support AOP network companies that are signatories to ‘Equal by 30’ to aim for at least 50% representation of women by 2030, in company positions where women are currently under-represented.
• To help create mentor relationships across the African energy industry: for instance, by promoting apprenticeships across the value chain of the energy sector; by bolstering the efforts to boost the number of girls taking STEM subjects, with the aim to increase the pool of women entering STEM careers; and by encouraging more women from the energy sector to become STEM ambassadors.
• To create a yearly leadership award for a deserving woman in the industry to be awarded at one of AOP’s flagship events.
• To target 50% representation of female speakers at its events, across its publications and efforts.
• To procure 50% of its supplies from majority female-owned businesses on the African continent.

Initially launched on May 24 at the Clean Energy Ministerial in Copenhagen, the ‘Equal by 30’ initiative has since expanded to include 144 total organizations, including 119 signatories, 12 partners and 13 governments. The campaign is led by and based at Natural Resources Canada, a division of the Government of Canada.