The energy transition underway in Africa is the most profound economic shift of our lifetime.
In PARIS, France, on March 8th, 2026: by Marieme-Sav SOW, Vice President for Engagement and Advocacy at TotalEnergies EP Africa (https://TotalEnergies.com).
Often, I am the only woman in the room – sometimes, the only African woman.
This is not a complaint, but a statement of fact. It is my starting point, and it has offered me an unexpected advantage: being the only one sharpens your awareness. You notice what others overlook.
Early in my career, I believed that dedication and results alone would be enough to transform this industry. But I have since realized that progress demands more than just individual determination -it requires intentional, collective action. Years later, the landscape has shifted: more women attend conferences, more enter junior roles, and more appear in the photos that fill diversity reports. Yet in the rooms where real decisions are made, silence persists. Those spaces remain emptier – and quieter – than they should be. So yes, frankly, I’m weary of watching women’s day celebrations substitute for change.
In my industry, this matters even further because energy is not just about pipelines and power. Energy is about who gets light, who gets jobs, who gets opportunity. When half the population is absent from those decisions, we build systems that serve everyone imperfectly. I witnessed the impact of this firsthand.
In Uganda, a family was being compensated for property affected by a project. The husband spoke; the wife listened. But when asked about the family’s needs, about what “fair compensation” really meant, it was the wife who had the answers. She knew what the household required. She knew who in the community would be affected. She knew because she lived it every day.
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