On Thursday, 10 July 2025, a workshop titled “SHE LEADS: Power, Purpose & Progress in Jordan’s Energy Future” was held as part of the Jordanian-German Energy Partnership, represented by the Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) and the German Energy Agency (dena), on behalf of the German Federal Foreign Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), and in cooperation with EDAMA Association for Energy, Water and Environment.
In her opening remarks as patron of the event, Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Eng. Amani Al-Azzam expressed her gratitude to the BMWE, the German Energy Agency (dena) and EDAMA for supporting this important initiative. She emphasized the urgent need to spotlight the current status of women in Jordan‘s energy sector and to explore opportunities to empower them and enhance their participation as influencers and decision-makers in shaping the sector’s future.
Building on this, Ms Anne Jacobs-Schleithoff, Head of the Division for the Middle East and North Africa at BMWE, reaffirmed Germany’s longstanding commitment to gender equality within the energy transition. She highlighted that women’s inclusion has been a strategic priority of the Energy Partnership since its inception, noting that empowering women is vital to shaping a sustainable and inclusive energy future. The event, she added, marks the beginning of a wider initiative aimed at strengthening women’s leadership across the energy sector.
Eng. Amani Al-Azzam pointed that despite the noticeable progress in the number of women working in the Jordanian energy sector, challenges persist in the details of day-to-day operations. Gaps remain in practices related to unequal knowledge transfer, limited assignment of skill-building tasks to women, and the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions.
For his part, EDAMA’s Vice Chair and board member Samer Judeh stated that low female participation is evident across various sectors, attributing this to key issues such as societal norms and inadequate public transportation for those living outside major urban centers.
Judeh emphasized the importance of the workshop for women who are capable of holding significant leadership roles, highlighting the need to empower women to enhance their effectiveness in the labor market.
He stressed that increasing women’s participation in the workforce is a shared responsibility, one that requires leveraging the wealth of experience and skills present among Jordanian women.
Eng. Amani Al-Azzam concluded that this workshop and similar events serve as platforms for dialogue and action—opportunities to identify challenges and develop practical steps toward a more equitable environment and a more inclusive energy sector led by all.
