The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development launched yesterday a program to support women in Egypt’s renewable energy sector, according to a statement. “The programme aims to identify and address the key barriers hindering the development of the region’s renewable energy economy,” which the EBRD identifies as a “high-value, high-growth sector,” and will see the EBRD working hand-in-hand with the government to overcome the issues keeping women out of the industry. By scaling up Egypt’s renewable energy sector, and mainstreaming gender balancing initiatives from the get-go, the EBRD program hopes to boost female participation in the workforce and, in particular, facilitate a greater number of women-led SMEs in the sector. The program is part of a USD 7 mn partnership with the Green Climate Fund that aims to bring Egypt’s renewable energy generation up to 20% by 2022 and 42% by 2035. As we mentioned yesterday, women make up a shockingly small 23% of Egypt’s labor force, a share that has not grown in past decades.

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