Deliver For Good bolsters investment in national campaign to advance gender equality in Senegal
The Deliver for Good Campaign, a global advocacy partnership that aims to improve the lives of girls and women in all their intersecting identities has committed to doubling its financial support for advocacy work in Senegal and Kenya. The Campaign calls for better policies, programming, and investments and aims to mainstream gender equality across all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Supported by Women Deliver, a leading advocate for girls and women, and led by Senegalese NGO Réseau Siggil Jigéen, alongside Energy 4 Impact, Deliver for Good Senegal is in its second phase (July 2021-June 2023), building on the achievements and partnerships already put in place during phase one (2018-2020).
Having convened a broad-based coalition of 40+ partner organisations and individuals, working across a range of sectors and areas of activity, Deliver for Good Senegal is rallying together to advocate for increased investments in health, education, and access to resources – with a particular focus on improving girls’ and women’s access to renewable energy – to close the gap in opportunities for girls and women across the country.
Energy 4 Impact has been the driving force behind the branch of the Campaign that promotes access to renewable energy – calling for the partial reinvestment of future oil and gas wealth into the development of renewable energy markets, as well as the entrepreneurial activities enabled by such energy access, in order to further the economic empowerment of women.
As the Campaign gains momentum, Energy 4 Impact will continue to engage constructively with key political decision-makers within Senegal’s Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Women, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, as well as members of the National Assembly, to firm up their commitments to invest in the decentralised solutions needed to power women-led businesses in rural communities.
Energy 4 Impact and its partners will support the implementation of the National Gender and Energy Action Plan of the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, which the coalition played a strong part in developing. Energy 4 Impact will also provide input into the operational plans of key ministerial departments (ANER – the National Agency for Renewable Energy, AEME – the Agency for the Economy and Control of Energy, ASER – Senegal’s Rural Electrification Agency, SENELEC – the National Electricity Company, among others) in order to mainstream gender equality throughout each department and ensure that programmes and policies related to gender equality are adequately resourced and funded.
This second phase of the Campaign will also place an emphasis on mobilising financial institutions, lenders, and investors, to create much needed financing opportunities for women seeking to invest in renewable energy technologies to optimise and grow their businesses. Abdoul Dosso, Energy 4 Impact’s Country Manager, who leads Deliver for Good Senegal, explains that small entrepreneurs working in off-grid communities often have limited options for financial products tailored to their needs, as local capital markets are underdeveloped, and sources of equity are scarce.
Training financial institutions to improve their knowledge of the renewable energy sector and the needs of rural- and women-led business will stimulate lending and make it easier for small businesses to borrow money,
says Abdoul Dosso.
Key to the success of the Campaign is the ability of different parties to leverage each other’s expertise and strengths. For this reason, Energy 4 Impact and Réseau Siggil Jigéen are supporting the establishment of a working group comprising civil society organisations, key government officers, and the private sector, motivated by common goals and shared values, to advance political, programmatic, and financial investments in gender equality – both nationally and regionally.
We’re honoured and proud to take Deliver for Good Senegal to the next level. The huge impact that energy access has had on the economic activities of some of the women entrepreneurs we support in Senegal is the best testament to our joint efforts. We will ensure that their stories are heard across the country and beyond in order to inspire more people to take meaningful actions for a more equitable world,
says Abdoul Dosso.
Read more about Women Deliver and their seven Generation Equality Forum (GEF) commitments, an investment of US $4 million in programming, to advance the health, rights and wellbeing of all girls and women, in their intersecting identities, over the next five years: Women Deliver and partners announce seven GEF commitments, an investment of US $4 million in programming over the next five years – Women Deliver