Efficiency for Access: Celebrating International Women’s Day 2025
Efficiency for Access is proud to support International Women’s Day, recognising the invaluable contributions of women in advancing global energy access.
International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated annually on March 8th, honours women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements while advocating for gender equality. The 2025 theme, “Accelerate Action,” emphasises the urgency of dismantling systemic barriers hindering progress toward gender parity.
Accelerate Action
Efficiency for Access aligns with the theme of “Accelerate Action” by empowering women in the off-grid appliance sector. This means helping to increase female leadership, participation, and economic opportunities. Female entrepreneurs are helping to play expand access to clean energy solutions, from solar-powered irrigation to efficient appliances that reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Investing in women-led initiatives can help ensure a just and inclusive clean energy transition, enhance community resilience, and ensure that the benefits of clean technology reach vast off- and weak-grid populations.
By fostering women’s participation in sustainable energy access, Efficiency for Access contributes to global efforts to accelerate action toward gender equality.
“The fallout from climate change – from droughts, to floods, to superstorms – is getting worse. But not everyone has felt the pain equally… Women often shoulder more domestic care responsibilities, have less access to resources, such as land or credit, and are underrepresented in decision-making spaces. The growing wave of female-led adaptation demonstrates that climate action can support gender equality and more secure livelihoods.”
– United Nations Environment Programme
Gender equality through clean energy innovations
In honour of International Women’s Day, we’re spotlighting a curated reading list showcasing impactful female-led clean energy projects and research topics supported by Efficiency for Access:
- Wala’s Solar Irrigation Support: Founded by CEO Priscilla Sani-Chimwele, Malawi-based company, Wala, piloted a project distributing high-quality solar irrigation equipment to smallholder farmers. The initiative included training on equipment use, maintenance, and business skills to boost crop yields and income.
- Neopenda: Led by CEO and co-founder Sona Shah, Neopenda developed an affordable, wireless vital signs monitor called neoGuard. This energy-efficient device is designed for low-resource health facilities in East Africa to monitor critically ill newborns, aiming to increase survival rates
- ENERGIA’s Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Programme: ENERGIA, an international network promoting gender equality in energy access, implemented a programme across Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda. This initiative supports women-led micro and small businesses in the energy sector, aiming to scale up energy service delivery and advocate for gender-inclusive energy policies.
This week, we have published two new pieces to celebrate International Women’s Day 2025:
- Joy Muntet and Vallary Shinaywa spoke to Efficiency for Access about their experience of being female innovators taking part in the Efficiency for Access Design Challenge, and their subsequent work on the Challenge’s Accelerator Programme.
- With a wide range of contributors, our latest LinkedIn-exclusive article highlighting six ways that energy-efficient appliances are making a difference to women’s lives, while showcasing the inspiring women leading the charge to Accelerate Action.