Engendering Utilities Partners

Speeches Shim

EDM electric power technicians outside of a power station
USAID is proud to work with organizations that are committed to improving gender equality in male-dominated sectors, and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business which is committed to helping build the next generation of leaders and gender equality champions.
Meredith Waters / USAID
  • Featured Story

    Return on Investment at Tata Power-DDL

    With support from USAID’s Engendering Utilities program, Tata Power-DDL implements women’s leadership and development initiatives that improve company culture and performance. Read the story

The strength of the Engendering Utilities program is in its collaborative approach.

USAID is proud to work with organizations that are committed to improving gender equality in male-dominated sectors, and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business which is committed to helping build the next generation of leaders and gender equality champions.

The Utilities

USAID partners with companies to design interventions that improve gender equality within their organizations. Through Engendering Utilities, USAID is partnering with 29 utilities spanning 21 countries. Current partners include:

  • Albania

    Operatori I Shpërndarjes Së Energjisë Elektrike (OSHEE)

    OSHEE is a government-owned electric utility and Albania’s largest employer. Of its 6,000 employees, 30 percent are women, the majority of whom serve in traditionally female-dominated customer care roles. Read the profile

  • Burkina Faso

    Société Nationale d'electricité du Burkina (SONABEL)

    State-owned SONABEL provides renewable energy to more than 620,000 people. A growing company, less than a quarter of SONABEL’s staff and just four of the company’s 20 executives are women. Read the profile

  • Dominican Republic

    Edesur Dominicana, S.A. (EDESUR)

    EDESUR was formed in 1999 and distributes electricity to 800,000 customers. Of their 3,290 employees, around 37 percent are women. USAID is supporting EDESUR to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • El Salvador

    Distribuidora de Electricidad DELSUR

    One of 18 distribution companies in El Salvador, DELSUR services 25 percent of the market with a workforce that is 20 percent female. USAID is supporting DELSUR to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Ethiopia

    Ethiopia Electric Utility Company (EEU)

    EEU has more than 2.7 million customers and aims to connect 100 percent of the country to the grid by 2025. Out of more than 18,000 employees, only 21 percent are women. Read the profile

  • Georgia

    Energo-Pro

    Energo-Pro serves 85 percent of the market and more than 1 million customers. Of its 6,000 employees, 13 percent are women. USAID is supporting Energo-Pro to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Ghana

    Ghana Grid Company Ltd. (GRIDCo)

    GRIDCo is Ghana’s transmission company and system operator, and currently has over 900 employees, of which 15 percent are women. USAID is supporting GRIDCo to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • India

    BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL)

    BRPL was formed in 2002 and serves around 2.4 million customers in New Delhi. Of their 2,700 employees, just 11 percent are women. USAID is supporting BRPL to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • India

    Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL)

    TPDDL was formed in 2002 and serves around seven million people in New Delhi. Of their 3,570 employees, 15 percent are women. USAID is supporting TPDDL to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Jordan

    Electric Distribution Company (EDCO)

    EDCO serves 55 percent of the country and has around 1,400 employees, of which eight percent are women. USAID is supporting EDCO to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Jordan

    Irbid District Electricity Company (IDECO)

    IDECO is an electricity company in Jordan, serving over 25 percent of the country. Of 1,300 employees, six percent are women. USAID is supporting EDCO to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Jordan

    Jordan Water Company L.L.C. (Miyahuna)

    Miyahuna is a water and sanitation services company serving nearly one million water subscribers and over 700,000 wastewater subscribers. Nine percent of the utility’s 2,300 employees are women. Read the profile

  • Kenya

    Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen)

    KenGen owns and operates 70 percent of Kenya’s power plants and is a leading energy company in East Africa. Within KenGen, 25 percent of staff and one third of board members are women. Read the profile

  • Kenya

    Kenya Power

    Kenya Power serves more than 3.6 million customers, employing more than 8,000 men and approximately 2,000 women. USAID is supporting Kenya Power to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Kosovo

    Kosovë Operator Sistemi, Transmisioni dhe Tregu (KOSTT)

    KOSTT operates Kosovo’s electricity transmission and distribution system. In 2019, 18 percent of KOSTT’s 340 employees were women. USAID is supporting KOSTT to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Lesotho

    Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC)

    LEC is a state-owned utility that provides power to over 230,000 customers in Maseru and the area surrounding the capital. LEC employs over 500 people, of which 20 percent are women. Read the profile

  • Liberia

    Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC)

    LEC currently serves nearly 50,000 customers in Liberia and employs around 850 staff, of which 17 percent are women. USAID is supporting LEC to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Malawi

    Electricity Generation Company Malawi (EGENCO)

    EGENCO is a power generation company with 550 employees, of which 11 percent are women. USAID is supporting EGENCO to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Mozambique

    Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM)

    Mozambique’s electricity company since 1977, EDM services 28 percent of the population with 3,340 staff, of which 16 percent are women. USAID is supporting EDM to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Nigeria

    Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC)

    EKEDC serves 494,000 customers in Lagos State and Ogun State. In 2018, women made up 20 percent of the company’s workforce. USAID is supporting EKEDC to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Nigeria

    Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC)

    IBEDC serves over 1.2 million customers in Nigeria and parts of Niger. Of the utility’s 2,500 employees, 17 percent are women. USAID is supporting IBEDC to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Nigeria

    Imo State Water and Sewerage Corporation (ISWSC)

    ISWSC supplies water to over three million Nigerians in Imo state. Over 40 percent of staff at ISWSC are women, but few occupy technical and field-based roles. Read the profile

  • North Macedonia

    EVN Macedonia

    EVN Macedonia provides energy to 812,000 customers and employs more than 1,800 professionals, of which 21 percent are women. USAID is supporting EVN to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Philippines

    Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LASURECO)

    LASURECO generates and distributes electricity to around 51,400 customers. Of their 184 employees, 29 percent are women. USAID is supporting LASURECO to improve gender equality and boost performance. Read the profile

  • Philippines

    Zamboaga City Water District (ZCWD)

    ZCWD is a government-owned and controlled utility that supplies water to the sixth largest city in the country, Zamboanga City. ZCWD has 625 employees, but only 93 are women. Read the profile

  • Rwanda

    Rwanda Energy Group (REG)

    REG is a state-owned electric utility that imports, exports, generates and distributes electricity in Rwanda. The utility has over 1,300 employees, of which 17 percent are women. Read the profile

  • Senegal

    Office des Forages Ruraux (OFOR)

    OFOR manages all rural water services in Senegal. A quarter of OFOR’s 70 employees are women; a statistic the company hopes to improve in the coming years. Read the profile

  • Senegal

    Senegal National Electricity Agency (Senelec)

    Senelec is a publicly owned utility serving Senegal’s urban centers. Out of a total of approximately 3,125 employees, 22 percent are women. Read the profile

  • Vietnam

    Vietnam Electricity (EVN)

    EVN is the largest utility in Vietnam, producing and supplying nearly 60 percent of Vietnam’s energy. EVN has nearly 100,000 employees and just over 20 percent are women. Read the profile

Professional Development

USAID partners with Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business to design and implement the Gender Equity Executive Leadership Program, which trains key leaders in each partner organization. The course teaches how to improve gender equality within several key topics aligned with the Delivering Gender Equality: A Best Practices Framework for Utilities, including:

  • Benefit Administration
  • Building the Business Case
  • Change Management
  • Child Care & Family-Friendly Practices
  • Employee Engagement & Development
  • Financial Impact Calculations
  • Gender Awareness
  • HR Compliance and Reporting
  • HR Policies
  • Male Engagement
  • Mentorship & Sponsorship
  • Negotiations
  • Payroll Management
  • Performance Management
  • Personal Leadership & Leading Others
  • Persuasion & Influence
  • Recruitment & Hiring
  • Salary Equity & Benefits Analysis
  • Separation and Retirement
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Strategic Leadership
  • Succession Planning
  • Survey Methodology
  • Unconscious Bias