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A. Lugonzo and K. Chege
Governments, the education sectors, industry stakeholders, development partners and Non-Governmental Organizations (‘NGOs’) will be
required to spearhead the transition for women in the extractives sector,
as will be shown below. For instance, adopting AI into modern mines will
not be easy, as it requires much planning, research and assessment, and
establishing well-defined infrastructures and platforms, clear communication practices and effective change management.
49 These elements
require policies to be set up to provide guidelines/a framework for
adoption of these and other technologies.
The concerted effort by the public, private and social sectors in the
extractives sector will have to heed the clarion call of automation in the
following ways:
a. Governments Role
Automation-driven changes in the labour market will attract new
entrants into the workforce. The seasoned barriers override new challenges to develop highly skilled technological savvy workers that can
adapt to the changing times.
The Kenyan government, through the Ministry of Energy, for
example, has taken steps to institute a gender policy that aims to promote
gender awareness, to change negative stereotypes and to inculcate an
engendered work culture in the energy, and related sectors.
50 This policy
is the first of its kind in Africa on a national level, though there exists
similar policies on a regional level from the AU, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the ECOWAS Centre for
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE).
51
Other African countries ought to borrow a leaf from Kenya in this
regard and promulgate such policies to further the goals of ensuring equal
opportunities for all persons irrespective of gender. Such a policy establishes a framework for both the public and private sectors to prioritize
gender issues in the policies and other programmes in the energy sector.
49 The Draft Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020–2030).
50 Kenyan Ministry of Energy Gender Policy in Energy 2019.
51 Ibid.
A. Lugonzo and K. Chege
Governments, the education sectors, industry stakeholders, development partners and Non-Governmental Organizations (‘NGOs’) will be
required to spearhead the transition for women in the extractives sector,
as will be shown below. For instance, adopting AI into modern mines will
not be easy, as it requires much planning, research and assessment, and
establishing well-defined infrastructures and platforms, clear communication practices and effective change management.
49 These elements
require policies to be set up to provide guidelines/a framework for
adoption of these and other technologies.
The concerted effort by the public, private and social sectors in the
extractives sector will have to heed the clarion call of automation in the
following ways:
a. Governments Role
Automation-driven changes in the labour market will attract new
entrants into the workforce. The seasoned barriers override new challenges to develop highly skilled technological savvy workers that can
adapt to the changing times.
The Kenyan government, through the Ministry of Energy, for
example, has taken steps to institute a gender policy that aims to promote
gender awareness, to change negative stereotypes and to inculcate an
engendered work culture in the energy, and related sectors.
50 This policy
is the first of its kind in Africa on a national level, though there exists
similar policies on a regional level from the AU, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the ECOWAS Centre for
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE).
51
Other African countries ought to borrow a leaf from Kenya in this
regard and promulgate such policies to further the goals of ensuring equal
opportunities for all persons irrespective of gender. Such a policy establishes a framework for both the public and private sectors to prioritize
gender issues in the policies and other programmes in the energy sector.
49 The Draft Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020–2030).
50 Kenyan Ministry of Energy Gender Policy in Energy 2019.
51 Ibid.