USAID Expands Initiative to Increase Gender Equality in Male-Dominated Sectors

USAID’s Engendering Industries program welcomes 13 new partners from 10 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East.

USAID’s Engendering Industries, a program that advances gender equality in male-dominated industries, partnered with 13 new organizations to increase women’s participation in the workplace. Building on the successes of our existing partnerships, the program now works with 41 partners in 27 countries. By increasing employment opportunities for women in male-dominated sectors, Engendering Industries provides tangible economic outcomes for women, including higher-quality and better-paying jobs, and increased household income.

Research shows that when women serve as leaders and employees, businesses benefit and company performance improves. Increasing gender equality enhances employee satisfaction, reduces turnover, and drives productivity, which helps companies meet their business goals. Engendering Industries provides partner organizations with expert gender coaching, enabling them to uptake tools and actions known to increase gender equality at each phase of the employee life cycle—from recruiting and hiring, to retention and succession planning.

Employees from partner organizations are also invited to participate in Engendering Industries’ Gender Equity Executive Leadership Program, a best-in-class 12-month executive course developed by Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and USAID that empowers decision-makers to integrate gender equality initiatives into their corporate structure. 

Our New Partners

USAID's Engendering Industries program welcomes the following partner organizations:

  • Benin

    Société Nationale des Eaux du Bénin (SONEB), Benin

    SONEB operates approximately 60 urban drinking water supply systems and serves over 245,000 customers. SONEB partnered with USAID to increase gender equality across the company and company performance.tionally female-dominated customer care roles.

  • Colombia

    Celsia, Colombia

    Celsia is a Colombian power utility that generates 100 percent of its power from clean energy. Thirty percent of the utility’s 2,100 employees are women.

  • Colombia

    Centrales Eléctricas del Norte de Santander (CENS), Colombia

    CENS is a Colombian power utility that is at the forefront of the global energy transition. CENS serves over 560,000 customers and employs 600 people, and thirty percent are women.

  • Colombia

    Grupo ISA, Colombia

    Grupo ISA operates across six countries, has over 50 affiliates and subsidiaries, and employs over 4,000 people. Engendering Industries will support two of Grupo ISA’s subsidiary companies: ISA Intercolombia and Internexa.

  • Dominican Republic

    Instituto Nacional de Aguas Potables y Alcantarillados (INAPA), Dominican Republic

    INAPA provides drinking water, wastewater services, and rainwater disposal to 71 percent of the population. The utility is partnering with USAID to increase gender equality and improve company performance.

  • Ghana

    Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG)

    ECG supplies electricity to six regions in southern Ghana. The utility serves over 1.8 million customers, and partnered with USAID to increase gender equality across the company and improve company performance.

  • Grenada

    Grenada Electricity Services (Grenlec)

    Grenlec supplies electricity to 50,000 customers on the islands of Grenada, Petite Martinique, and Carriacou. The utility is partnering with USAID to increase gender equality and improve company performance.

  • Mongolia

    USUG, Mongolia

    USUG partners with USAID to increase gender equality across the company and encourage more women to enter Mongolia’s water sector.

  • Nigeria

    Delta State Urban Water Corporation (DESUWACO), Nigeria

    DESUWACO supplies water to over two million Nigerians in Delta state. The utility employs 445 people, but only 15 percent are women.

  • Tunisia

    Société Tunisienne de l'Electricité et du Gaz (STEG), Tunisia

    STEG is partnering with USAID to increase gender equality across the company and encourage more women to enter Tunisia’s energy sector.

  • Uganda

    Uganda Electricity Generation Company (UEGCL)

    Engendering Industries work with UEGCL expands job opportunities for women and enhances the utility’s performance.

About Engendering Industries

Launched in 2015, USAID’s Engendering Industries program supports organizations in developing countries to increase economic opportunities for women and improve gender equality in the workplace. Expanding women’s participation in male-dominated sectors leads to tangible economic empowerment outcomes for women, such as formal employment opportunities and higher income. Increased gender equality also improves an organization’s business performance, helping companies meet their bottom-line by enhancing employee satisfaction, reducing turnover, and driving productivity. Well-functioning organizations are also vital in supporting stronger and more resilient economies. Through a customized best practices framework, demand-driven coaching, and a Gender Equity Executive Leadership Program, Engendering Industries builds the capacity of leaders to implement gender equality interventions that increase the professional participation of women and improve business performance.