The political economy of gender mainstreaming in energy access in Sierra Leone
In 2017, the Economic Community of West African States launched its Policy for Gender Mainstreaming in Energy Access with each member state tasked to create a National Action Plan (NAP). This study explores the case of Sierra Leone to understand how stakeholders have influenced the NAP process, and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research: Climate |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5295/ad8f59 |
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| author | Sarah Appiah Victoria Plutshack Mawunyo Agradi Thomas W Klug Isaac Nunoo Rajah Saparapa |
| author_facet | Sarah Appiah Victoria Plutshack Mawunyo Agradi Thomas W Klug Isaac Nunoo Rajah Saparapa |
| author_sort | Sarah Appiah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In 2017, the Economic Community of West African States launched its Policy for Gender Mainstreaming in Energy Access with each member state tasked to create a National Action Plan (NAP). This study explores the case of Sierra Leone to understand how stakeholders have influenced the NAP process, and what that might mean for implementation. Using the Actors, Objectives, Context framework with interview data from key gender and energy actors, we find elements that make Sierra Leone’s NAP unique, such as addressing systematic barriers, explicitly promoting solar energy and heavily relying on civil society for implementation. The study finds that a policy focus on gender reflects both a push from international donor organisations and the national efforts of civil society. Sierra Leone’s NAP reflects the tension between the high priority of gender politics at the national and international level and more immediate interest from the Ministry of Energy and government actors on economic development. It affirms the uneasy co-existence of the liberal and liberating view of women in international development with some evidence that the liberal view prevails. Still, despite the government’s focus on economic development, poor engagement with the private sector and cultural barriers are likely to hamper the inclusion of women into the energy industry. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c3689c02c3824c9c951bda5b9240eeef |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2752-5295 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research: Climate |
| spelling | doaj-art-c3689c02c3824c9c951bda5b9240eeef2025-08-20T02:31:08ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Climate2752-52952024-01-013404502510.1088/2752-5295/ad8f59The political economy of gender mainstreaming in energy access in Sierra LeoneSarah Appiah0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2300-009XVictoria Plutshack1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9147-8445Mawunyo Agradi2Thomas W Klug3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2793-5634Isaac Nunoo4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5076-4883Rajah Saparapa5Department of Economics, University of Ghana , PO Box LG 57, Legon, Accra, GhanaDuke University , 140 Science Dr, Durham, NC 27708-0187, United States of AmericaDepartment of Economics and Actuarial Science, University of Professional Studies Accra , Box LG 149 Accra, GhanaPotsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) , Member of the Leibniz Association, P.O. Box 60 12 03, D-14412 Potsdam, GermanySchool of Economics Faculty of Commerce, University of Cape Town , Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South AfricaThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill College of Arts and Sciences , Murray Hall, 121 South Rd Suite 3202, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3100, United States of AmericaIn 2017, the Economic Community of West African States launched its Policy for Gender Mainstreaming in Energy Access with each member state tasked to create a National Action Plan (NAP). This study explores the case of Sierra Leone to understand how stakeholders have influenced the NAP process, and what that might mean for implementation. Using the Actors, Objectives, Context framework with interview data from key gender and energy actors, we find elements that make Sierra Leone’s NAP unique, such as addressing systematic barriers, explicitly promoting solar energy and heavily relying on civil society for implementation. The study finds that a policy focus on gender reflects both a push from international donor organisations and the national efforts of civil society. Sierra Leone’s NAP reflects the tension between the high priority of gender politics at the national and international level and more immediate interest from the Ministry of Energy and government actors on economic development. It affirms the uneasy co-existence of the liberal and liberating view of women in international development with some evidence that the liberal view prevails. Still, despite the government’s focus on economic development, poor engagement with the private sector and cultural barriers are likely to hamper the inclusion of women into the energy industry.https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5295/ad8f59energy policygender mainstreamingSierra Leoneclimate changeenergy accesswomen’s empowerment |
| spellingShingle | Sarah Appiah Victoria Plutshack Mawunyo Agradi Thomas W Klug Isaac Nunoo Rajah Saparapa The political economy of gender mainstreaming in energy access in Sierra Leone Environmental Research: Climate energy policy gender mainstreaming Sierra Leone climate change energy access women’s empowerment |
| title | The political economy of gender mainstreaming in energy access in Sierra Leone |
| title_full | The political economy of gender mainstreaming in energy access in Sierra Leone |
| title_fullStr | The political economy of gender mainstreaming in energy access in Sierra Leone |
| title_full_unstemmed | The political economy of gender mainstreaming in energy access in Sierra Leone |
| title_short | The political economy of gender mainstreaming in energy access in Sierra Leone |
| title_sort | political economy of gender mainstreaming in energy access in sierra leone |
| topic | energy policy gender mainstreaming Sierra Leone climate change energy access women’s empowerment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5295/ad8f59 |
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