Yemisi Izuora
The Women in Energy Network (WIEN) has called for urgent structural reforms in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry to remove systemic barriers limiting women’s participation across workforce, leadership, and enterprise ownership.
According to the Network, women account for 18.2 per cent of Nigeria’s energy workforce and 25.6 per cent of leadership roles and that despite over 35,000 companies active on the JQS platform, less than 2 per cent are women-owned.
They also informed that women represent only 17 per cent of current STEM enrolments, signaling a constrained future technical pipeline.
The Network noted that a US$40 million Women in Energy Fund, supported through the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), remains underutilized not due to lack of capable women-owned businesses, but due to limited access to bankable contract opportunities.
The WIEN explained that the current procurement structure effectively requires companies to demonstrate asset ownership and technical capacity before accessing contracts — creating a circular constraint for emerging firms:
“This is not a social issue. It is a structural and strategic issue,” the Network emphasized. “Nigeria cannot achieve its energy security objectives while half of its population remains underutilized.”
WIEN also highlighted the need for stronger representation of women at board level, noting that governance diversity improves capital allocation, risk oversight, and long-term sector resilience.
In addition, the Network stressed the urgency of strengthening the STEM pipeline for young women through targeted internships, mentorship programs, and industry-backed exposure initiatives.
WIEN reaffirmed that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Nigeria’s energy sector is not tokenism or entitlement, but a strategic imperative tied to capital formation, competitiveness, and long-term energy security.