Electricidade de Moçambique Increases Women’s Participation in the Power Sector

In 2018, the company partnered with USAID's Engendering Utilities program to address gender inequities at each phase of the employee lifecycle. The initiative aimed to improve the organization's recruitment and hiring practices, widen the pool of qualified candidates, and increase economic opportunities for women in Mozambique's traditionally male-dominated power industry. The company's initial assessment in 2017 revealed a stark disparity in the number of women working in technical roles. Only five women were employed in the energy generation directorate, prompting the CEO and Board of Directors to commit to staffing the Maputo Thermal Power Plant with more women. With the support of Engendering Utilities, Electricidade de Moçambique revised its hiring procedures, resulting in a significant increase in the number of women employed at the utility. As of 2023, women represent 41 percent of the employees at the newly constructed Maputo Thermal Power Plant, and the utility plans to hire more women with their upcoming recruitment drive to fill over 250 positions. Electricidade de Moçambique believes that employing women in meter reading and collections roles will improve the utility's financial performance, with potential revenue increases of up to $2 million annually. The company has also found that employing women to conduct community outreach can improve community relations in high-loss areas. To support the growing female workforce, Electricidade de Moçambique worked with Engendering Utilities to counteract cultural biases and stereotypes among male technical staff and managers. The utility conducted an internal assessment, including a staff survey, to better understand gender stereotypes related to women's performance at the company. The data revealed that myths and misinformation about women's abilities and work habits were prevalent among staff, but the company continues to address these issues through internal outreach and communication. Today, 589 women work at Electricidade de Moçambique, and the utility continues to improve gender equality at each phase of the employee lifecycle. The company has formally adopted gender equality as one of the three pillars of its business strategy, and its initiatives have the potential to radically alter workforce policies at companies across Mozambique. The CEO of Electricidade de Moçambique, Marcelino Gildo Alberto, emphasizes that gender equality is a core value and imperative to decision making and business conduct, and that it is a key factor in enabling universal access to electricity in Mozambique.