Page 54 - Nigeria one mag 4 edition en

Women in the Oil and Gas Sector

Female engineer in maintenance room, illustrative image

The oil and gas industry in Nigeria provides thousands of direct and indirect jobs and contributes extensively to
the nation's foreign reserves. However the industry is male- dominated at every level ranging from top executive
roles to the mining industry and oil rigs.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, had stated that the Government had been intentional
and deliberate in introducing several gender-friendly policies in the oil and gas sector meant to ensure the
inclusion of women in the oil and gas industry.
This was the highlight of his remarks during the Nigerian Women in Oil and Gas Conference held in Lagos in
June 2022. He maintained that part of the initiative to ensure the inclusion of women in the oil and gas sector was
to increase access to funding, research and development in the interest of women actively participating in the
Nigerian oil and gas industry.
The minister advised that there is the need for women actively participating in the Nigerian oil and gas industry
to collectively work together towards increasing participation of women in the industry by identifying
opportunities, mentoring and coaching. engendering growth, building capacities and capabilities,
Also, Executive Secretary, Simbi Wabote, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), made a
recent pronouncement that the board as part of its gender inclusion policy would begin to disburse the $ 40
million dollar Women in Energy Fund grant to support women in the oil and gas sector.
The issue of women inclusion in the oil and gas sector is not a problem peculiar to Nigeria alone. In most
developing countries as a whole, the percentage of women actively involved in leadership positions in the oil and
gas sector are few and there have been calls for more inclusion of women in the energy sector.
The oil and gas sector as a whole can benefit immensely from diversity of the work force, as gender diversity in
the work space has shown to enhance creativity and innovation that are important for moving the organization
forward, as these traits are crucial in venturing into new frontiers, creating new technologies and products that
can be game changers for the organization.

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