Sen. Margery Okadigbo, Board Chairman of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has emphasized the importance of promoting gender equality in the energy sector due to the numerous benefits it provides.
Okadigbo stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at the Women in Energy, Oil and Gas (WEOG) in Nigeria’s commemoration of International Women Day with the theme “The Limitless Woman: Leveraging Innovation and Technology.”
The Petroleum Technology Development Fund hosted the event, which was organized in collaboration with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Women Commission, Kaduna Zone (PTDF).
She stated that aggressive capacity building for women specializing in technical skills, particularly in light of the energy transition, should be prioritize d in order to change the narrative.
Okadigbo, while stating that globally, women in the energy sector faced barriers of employment, leadership and others, said breaking the barrier of inequality would be ineffective without government active participation in promoting policy initiative.
The Executive Secretary, PTDF, Dr Bello Gusau, expressed commitment to continue to support the association’s activities.
The PTDF boss said apart from its scholarship scheme, it was also into institutional development, adding that there were many PTDF activities that the association could key into.
Speaking, Dr Oladunni Owo, National President, WEOG, said March had been designated as the month to celebrate womanhood so its celebration was in line with the tenets of the United Nations women.
Owo said it organised the event to advance women’s empowerment and recognise their contribution to the oil and gas industry in commemoration of Women’s Day globally.
“We are having this event as a channel to celebrate our women in the energy industry across the energy value chain.
“According to statistics, currently women own 20 per cent in the industry and at leadership level we are just about seven per cent which is one of the reasons why we had to form the association five years ago.
“It aims at mainstreaming women into the industry both as employees and as business owners to cut across the value chain of the energy oil and gas space.
She said based on its urge to have the voice of women in the Nigeria local content space, it was collaborating with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board on advocacy document which entailed the formulation of a sectorial working group.
According to her, the group which is under the Nigerian content and consultative forum focused on gender diversity and in response to the clarion call the board approved for the sectorial working group to be created.
She also commended the PTDF on its reach out for scholarship for qualified Nigerians in masters and doctorate degrees.
“And I know that PTDF has very strong concentration for women. After this event, we would find a way to strengthen that relationship so that we can take it to the next level especially from the grassroots,” she said.
