In recognition that women bear a disproportionate share of the burden imposed by lack of access to modern energy services, a one-day training workshop on “Sustainable Energy and Gender” was conducted by the ENERGIA network on 28 June 2012. The workshop, which was held back-to-back to the Regional RE&EE Validation Workshop held in Dakar, Senegal from June 25–28, 2012 was designed to improve awareness of gender issues and improve capacity on assessing the implications, for different gender groups, of planned energy policies, as well as to identify entry points for incorporating a gender perspective into regional and national RE&EE policies.

Over 75 participants, of whom 65 were men - a unique turn-out in ENERGIA’s longstanding history of undertaking capacity building activities in the energy sector - were trained in the tools and techniques for gender mainstreaming in regional policies.

Participants included experts from the Ministries of Energy in the ECOWAS area, policy makers and analysts, representatives from national and international organizations. At the end of the training workshop, participants gained knowledge on the use of gender planning tools and methods for developing action plans that impact positively on the lives of both men and women.