The Women in Energy Network and KPMG Advisory Services will on 11 November unveil an annual diversity, equity and inclusion benchmark to track gender gaps in Nigeria’s energy sector and measure progress in women’s participation across the industry.
The report is expected to assess industry performance, identify gaps and highlight opportunities for improvement across the energy value chain, using data gathered from industry players to establish a baseline for measuring future progress.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos on Tuesday to announce the collaboration, WIEN President, Eyono Fatayi-Williams, said the report would be published annually and provide evidence to support discussions on diversity and inclusion in the sector.
She said the involvement of KPMG would strengthen the credibility of the report and help position Nigeria as a reference point for data-driven reporting on inclusion in the energy industry.
Fatayi-Williams said the initiative was designed to ensure that discussions about diversity and inclusion were based on verifiable information rather than general statements.
The conference chairperson, Bassey Adie, said the report would assess the broader energy sector, with participating organisations expected to submit relevant data.
Adie noted that WIEN is engaging industry stakeholders to establish partnerships that will enable KPMG to access their systems and communicate with their personnel while gathering information for the report.
She explained that the assessment would focus on three areas: women in leadership and careers, pathways for young girls through mentorship, internships and employment, and opportunities for women-owned businesses through supplier diversity programmes.
Speaking, the Advisory Director and KPMG representative, Chukwuemeke Igabari, maintained that the firm would draw on information from its wider network and industry associations, including WIEN, to develop the benchmark.
He stressed that the first report would provide a starting point for assessing diversity, equity and inclusion in the energy sector and establish a basis for measuring changes in subsequent assessments.
“We’re looking at women in energy, logistics, in the upstream, downstream, rising star, lifestyle achievement, women that even employ other women; women that support STEM for young girls,” he said.
Fatayi-Williams spoke further that WIEN’s plan is to use the report’s findings to engage the government on policies that can improve women’s participation and opportunities in the industry.
She cited policy changes in the banking sector and the development of Nigeria’s local content industry as examples of how government policies could influence representation and create opportunities.
The collaboration also covers the vetting of nominees for WIEN’s industry awards and the development of directories of board-ready women and women-owned businesses.
WIEN emphasised that KPMG would help verify award nominees and assess their contributions to the energy industry to strengthen the credibility of the awards.
The awards have 14 categories and will recognise women and companies for their achievements and contributions to diversity and inclusion.
The proposed directory of women-owned businesses is intended to help organisations, government and the international community identify verified businesses, while the board-ready directory will improve the visibility of qualified women for board appointments.
WIEN said the directories would address concerns that organisations often struggled to find qualified women for board positions or identify women-owned businesses when seeking business partners.
Fatayi-Williams said WIEN began in 2020 with 30 founding women members and two corporate organisations but had grown to more than 1,000 women and over 32 corporate organisations.
The network also conducts capacity-building activities, including webinars and masterclasses, and encourages young girls to consider careers in the energy industry.
The benchmark report will be unveiled at WIEN’s gala and awards night at the Metropolitan Club, Victoria Island, Lagos, under the theme, ‘Accelerating Inclusive Leadership for a Sustainable Energy Future’.
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