New £3 million project will tackle inequality in Africa's clean energy transition

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22 January 2025

New £3 million project will tackle inequality in Africa's clean energy transition

Sheffield Hallam University's Associate Professor Mulualem Gebreslassie is part of a new £3m project that aims to promote equality and inclusion as African countries transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy

Press contact: Joseph Barker | Joseph.Barker@shu.ac.uk

Participants in a project that helped secure JustGESI funding
Participants in a project that helped secure Just GESI funding. Photo credit: Akatew Haile

Funded by the UKRI under the Ayrton Challenge programme, ‘Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion for a Just Energy Transition in Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania (JustGESI) brings together experts from UK universities and each of the countries involved.

The programme will focus on institutional change and capacity building to bridge skills gaps that have hindered the participation of women and underprivileged groups in the clean energy sector, ultimately striving for inclusivity in the transition to clean energy.

Dr Mulualem Gebreslassie, Associate Professor of Energy and Transforming Lives Fellow, will co-lead the project. He said: “I am thrilled to be part of this interdisciplinary group and to coordinate the capacity building part of the project in our efforts to empower female engineers and underprivileged groups to own and drive Just and sustainable energy transitions”

Sheffield Hallam’s main responsibilities will be to identify gender equality and social inclusion gaps in the existing energy education sector in the African partners, developing tailored training modules, and providing trainings for up to 270 female technicians and engineers.  

Sheffield Hallam will also be responsible for collecting data about the impact of trainings and try to integrate some GESI skills to existing programmes in the partner higher education institutions.

Historically, research on clean energy transitions in Africa has overlooked issues of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), resulting in negative impacts on women and marginalized groups. The new project will address this issue in Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania through a collaborative effort between leading international and local institutions. 

The project aims to advance equality and inclusion in clean energy projects, especially modern cooking technologies, and policies by integrating engineering with social science.

Frances Wood, UK Research and Innovation International Director, said: “The Ayrton Challenge Programme demonstrates the power of research and innovation to address critical global challenges. These projects exemplify how equitable, interdisciplinary collaboration can unlock transformative solutions, ensuring a sustainable and inclusive energy future for all.”

The project is led by the University of Sheffield and involves Addis Ababa University and Mekelle University in Ethiopia; Ardhi University and TATEDO in Tanzania; Eduardo Mondlane University and the Centre for Research in Governance and Development in Mozambique; Mzuzu University and the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences in Malawi; Cape Town University in South Africa; and the Universities of Loughborough and Strathclyde in the UK.

JustGESI is one of thirteen UK research projects addressing urgent global energy and climate challenges that have been funded through the  UKRI’s Ayrton Challenge Programme.

 

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