The Women in Energy Network has called for urgent structural reforms in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry to remove systemic barriers that limit women’s participation across the workforce, leadership, and enterprise ownership.
During a policy engagement with the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen, WIEN presented sector data highlighting persistent gaps. According to the group, women account for 18.2 per cent of Nigeria’s energy workforce and 25.6 per cent of leadership roles. It added that despite over 35,000 companies being active on the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System platform, fewer than two per cent are women-owned.
WIEN argued that women represent only 17 per cent of current STEM enrolments, signalling a constrained future technical pipeline.
The Network noted that a $40 m Women in Energy Fund, supported through the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, remains underutilised, not due to a lack of capable women-owned businesses, but because of limited access to bankable contract opportunities.
The organisation 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. Nigeria cannot achieve its energy security objectives while half of its population remains underutilised,” WIEN stated in a release, highlighting the need for stronger representation of women at board level, as diversity in governance 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 programmes, and industry-backed exposure initiatives.
The Special Adviser was reported to have acknowledged the challenges presented and expressed commitment to promoting policies that ensure women are not structurally locked out of economic opportunities in the oil and gas industry before they are given a fair chance to grow.
WIEN reaffirmed that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Nigeria’s energy sector are not about tokenism or entitlement but represent a strategic imperative tied to capital formation, competitiveness, and long-term energy security.
Similarly, during an engagement with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, WIEN commended the Minister, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, for what it called her leadership in “repositioning Nigerian women as integral contributors to national development and economic prosperity”.
The network emphasised that Nigeria cannot achieve its energy security and economic growth objectives while half of its population remains underutilised.
According to the statement, the Minister highlighted the ministry’s grassroots cooking gas penetration initiative, aimed at transitioning more women across Nigeria to cleaner cooking fuels and sustainable energy solutions.
WIEN welcomed the initiative and pledged industry support to expand awareness, mobilise stakeholders, and strengthen access pathways for women, particularly in underserved communities. The network noted that clean cooking solutions are both a public health priority and a critical economic empowerment tool.
In response to WIEN’s advocacy for designated funding for women-owned businesses, the Minister reportedly disclosed that the Federal Government is working on a Social Impact Fund designed to improve access to finance for women and female entrepreneurs. The fund is structured as a revolving financing model aimed at building sustainable capacity rather than providing short-term relief.
Meanwhile, WIEN has commended the leadership of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank for its continued support of women-owned businesses in the energy sector through the Women in Oil and Gas Intervention Fund.
During an engagement with the bank, WIEN acknowledged that the NCDMB-backed facility has been one of the agency’s strongest-performing intervention funds, delivering measurable returns and supporting credible women-led enterprises across the energy value chain.
However, the network noted that overall fund utilisation remains below optimal levels, not due to a lack of capable women-owned businesses, but because of limited access to bankable contract opportunities. WIEN explained that many women-led firms face a structural hurdle, stating, “Financing is available, but contract opportunities that meet lending criteria are limited.”
