The year 2020 kicks off a decade of action for Wilkitsa Akinyi, a renewable energy specialist who advocates for clean cooking solutions every day in her job.

Wilkitsa always knew she wanted to contribute towards sustainable development. Then she discovered the critical role that access to energy plays in nearly all sectors of the economy.

One of her successes came three years ago when she and a colleague helped some physics students at her former high school come up with a sustainable energy project. The project grabbed the internationally acclaimed Zayed Energy Prize in the Africa High Schools category.

She challenges women in the energy sector to take up their rightful place. “The trend is changing, but we are still not seeing many women rising to senior-level roles within the energy sector,“ she says.

Being aggressive and always doing her best has also helped her achieve her potential. “I recall one time, during my farewell, when a former colleague said he never liked sending draft commercial proposals to me for review because I was so thorough that I never missed even the slightest of errors,” she laughs.

She attributes her success to her mentors.

“My mentors have made me the woman I have become”

Wilkitsa sees the #EachforEqual theme as a reminder for us all to support womens’ efforts to break barriers. Because it has been proven there are no limits to what women can do.

“We must recognize that we will only achieve gender parity if we make the playing field a place where both women and men can thrive optimally,” she concludes.