On the occasion of women’s month, Minister of Petroleum and Minerals Tarek El Molla participated in the second edition of “She is Energy” Recognition Ceremony and Dinner organized by Egypt Oil & Gas (EOG) to celebrate and promote the contribution of women in Egypt’s energy sector. 

“Please allow me to thank Egypt Oil & Gas for organizing this important event as usual, giving us the opportunity to celebrate and appreciate women. Looking around, I am really pleased to see many of our key partners represented here today. This really confirms that we are partners, we are one team, one industry,” El Molla said during his speech. “The month of March is a very special one since we internationally celebrate Women’s Day as well as celebrating Mother’s Day on the domestic level. In my humble opinion, every day should be a day where we respect the abilities of women.”

El Molla stressed that the Egyptian state under the leadership of the President Abdelfattah El Sisi has prioritized women’s empowerment in all fields and sectors, noting that women hold 25% of the ministerial positions, 27% of the deputy ministerial positions, 31% of the deputy governor positions, 28% of the House of Deputies, and 14% of the Senate.

The Minister also stated that women’s empowerment has witnessed remarkable developments in this era that had not occurred before. He pointed to the fact that now women hold important government positions, including the President’s National Security Advisor for the first time, the head of the National Council for Human Rights, and the Senate’s representative.

El Molla refereed to the President directives to the government to carry out the needed legislative reforms to create the framework for women’s empowerment in the labor market. He added that this is also essential to promote awareness among women regarding the importance of developing their career paths in the areas of science, engineering, and applied technology.

He also pointed out that a great amount of support has been provided to boost the role of women in the energy industry, a male-dominated field that they were able to effectively break into, assert themselves, as well as occupy leadership and executive positions. The Minister added that many companies have demonstrated a keen interest in providing programs for the professional and personal development of women.

This was followed by an awards ceremony which was made to recognize the industry’s women for their remarkable accomplishments. The event was attended by major figures from national oil companies (NOCs), international oil companies (IOCs), government officials, and other notables from the industry.