To promote participation, enhance education and drive opportunities for women in Angola’s oil and gas value chain, the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas has defined clear inclusivity targets. These targets provide clear and measurable actions that industry stakeholders and companies can apply to enhance inclusion as well as market access.

According to Dr. Maria Eugénia Furtado, Deputy Inspector General at the Ministry, “The Angolan government has set objectives to achieve the goals set out by the United Nations. This commitment was consolidated in the National Development Plan, according to the program on gender equality. In our industry, this plan translates into qualification opportunities and capacity building programs for women, allocated to different departments in the industry.”

In addition to national policy, women-led networks such as Muhatu Energy – a platform created to promote opportunities for women in Angola’s hydrocarbon sector – support education and mentorship. Nicola Mvuayi, Executive Administrator at the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency, said that “Muhatu does not only promote women but aligns with sustainable objectives. We want to navigate through the future of women leading the vessel of oil and gas in Angola. We want to change the perception and reality of women in the industry.”

Echoing these remarks, Kátia Epalanga, Board Member at Sonangol, said that “This network of women was created so that Sonangol could respond to the needs of the industry. We need to stop these narratives that women cannot be in rotation. We can work at the different levels of the value chain. Drill baby drill, but with women on-board.”

At a local scale, companies active in Angola are already driving inclusivity through programs and partnerships. Berta Issa Conde, President of ASSEA, said that “ASSEA has important programs for the inclusion and empowerment of women in the industry. We found that women do not always have opportunity, especially in the technical fields. We created a program, comprising professional internships, that allow young women to take part in the industry.”

Similarly, Chevron and Equinor have programs in place to tackle the challenge in inequality in the workplace. Billy Lacobie, Managing Director - Southern Africa Strategic Business Unit at Chevron, offered insight into the company’s initiatives.

“We have a program within Chevron called MARC – Men Advocating for Real Change. This program is set up for men and women to participate. It creates a safe environment for small groups of about ten employees to openly share their experiences. Women come forward with the challenges they have faced. When you can start to understand from someone else’s perspective, you can enact change.”

For Equinor, the company’s Managing Director for Angola Ane Aubert highlighted that the company is “constantly building a pipeline of women in the company. Half of the local management team are women such as Head of Finance, Head of Legal, Head of HR and as of next year, our second biggest asset will be managed by a young Angolan woman.”

Beyond programs for women in the industry, there are initiatives in place in the education sector, enabling women to scale-up their professional development. Filipa Vilhena, Vice President of AECIPA, explained that “In Angola, we have good examples of women in leadership and technical positions. Regardless of the opportunities, it is not always easy for the graduates. We have different partnerships and internships in place and are working with institutions to address industry challenges.”