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Powering up any kind of activity requires energy, and women, just like any other individuals, should be empowered in the pursuit of energy transition. ASEAN has long recognised the importance of this, particularly in achieving its vision for a sustainable regional community. As stated within the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint 2025, the philosophy behind ASEAN principles has always envisioned an inclusive, people-oriented, and people-centred regional community. This vision is particularly align in the context of the sustainable energy transition, one of ASEAN forefront priority as outlined within the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC). APAEC is a series of five-year implementation plans for energy sector cooperation to support the goals of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Since its very first publication in 1999, ASEAN has stressed the need for a comprehensive approach in meeting the targets and executing programmes, even more the next phase of APAEC (2026 – 2030) will delve into Just and Inclusive Energy Transition.
However, understanding the dynamics within and between regional affairs is crucial, as the absence of stability often means that change is the only constant. In response to the region’s uncertainties and fluctuations, ASEAN has encouraged creativity and innovation to accelerate its progress toward achieving regional goals. The concept of entrepreneurship has been central to this spirit, particularly in the energy sector, where it is continuously promoted and potentially becoming a key component in advancing ASEAN’s pursuit of inclusive and dynamic economic integration.
On last year’s International Women’s Day, ASEAN Centre for Energy published the ACCEPT Gender Booklet in 2024 highlighting how providing more resources and opportunities for women entrepreneurs in the energy sector will add fresh new perspectives to clean and renewable energy developments. Entrepreneurs are capitalising on the green revolution by developing and promoting renewable energy solutions. In this context, women may play a pivotal role as influential actor within their communities, shaping how they earn a living, develop new skills, and drive change. Women are vital agents of change in environmental sustainability, as they often prioritise social and environmental impacts in their business practices.
In 2021 ASEAN published the Declaration on Building a More Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Future: Unlocking Women’s Entrepreneurship on the 41st ASEAN Summit. Within this declaration, all ten ASEAN Member States (AMS) reaffirmed the urgency to accelerate efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship development by creating a holistic system and enabling environment. The goal is to build capacity, enhance knowledge and skills, and unlock the full potential of women entrepreneurs. This vision aligns with the ASEAN Declaration on Innovation (2017), which emphasises the importance of innovative start-ups and disruptive technologies in driving transformation across various sectors. To make this a reality, ASEAN recognises the need for comprehensive policies that encourage entrepreneurship, facilitate the movement of capital and talent, and tap into market scalability, ultimately driving economic growth and transformation in the region.
Women entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia’s energy sector face persistent barriers, from limited funding access to underrepresentation in leadership. Despite the growing momentum for clean energy, women-led energy businesses struggle to secure investments, navigate policy gaps, and integrate into industry networks. In Southeast Asia, women’s representation on energy company boards is below 50%, ranging from 10.7% in Thailand to 29.7% in Viet Nam. This disparity reflects deeper challenges—women entrepreneurs often lack access to capital, mentorship, and market opportunities, making it difficult to scale their businesses.
The ACCEPT Gender Booklet (2024) highlights a critical issue: no existing public policies specifically address the gender-energy nexus, and financing remains unevenly distributed. Women-led startups frequently face higher barriers to securing funding compared to their male counterparts, limiting their ability to contribute to Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition. A report made by Bain & Company in 2024 further reveals systemic constraints in the region’s energy sector, including the dual challenge of balancing economic growth with energy transition, a mismatch in supply and demand due to geographical dispersion of renewable resources, and limited incentives for carbon reduction. In addition, a significant investment gap to fund the transition continues to exist—an estimated $1.5 trillion is required until 2030, with only $45 billion in investments made across dedicated green investments since 2021.
These barriers disproportionately affect women energy entrepreneurs, who already struggle with financial limitations and limited access to networks. Addressing these issues requires a multi-sectoral, innovation-driven approach that empowers women to participate fully in the energy market.
ASEAN has long promoted the Triple Helix model, placing three key players—government, industry, and academia—at the forefront. However, for this model to support women energy entrepreneurs, it must be expanded into a Penta-Helix framework that includes civil society and media stakeholders. The inclusion of civil society enables a bottom-up approach and the role of media in this regard is to ensure visibility and transparency within the sector. By integrating these additional stakeholders, ASEAN can foster a more inclusive, practical, and sustainable energy ecosystem, ensuring that women entrepreneurs receive the resources, funding, and policy support they need to thrive.
To build a truly gender-inclusive energy sector, ASEAN must move beyond isolated initiatives and implement a coordinated, cross-sectoral strategy. This writing believes that a unified ASEAN comes from within, back to its roots — and this serves as a focal point to reflect on how ASEAN defines the term community? Furthermore, the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework (2021- 2025) calls for institutional mechanisms that bring together ASEAN’s three key pillars—Socio-Cultural (ASCC), Economic (AEC), and Political-Security (APSC)—alongside gender institutions, industry leaders, and financial stakeholders. By strengthening these collaborations, ASEAN can unlock the full potential of women entrepreneurs, accelerating both gender equality and energy innovation across the region.
There is deep potential to create employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in the clean energy sector in ASEAN. However, if gender equity policies and programmes are not proactively planned and implemented, there is a concern that women will stay marginalised. It is also important to adapt these factors to the specific context of each country or organisation to create optimal environments and opportunities for women in the clean energy transition. Based on the ASEAN Energy and Gender Report: Development Finance by ASEAN Centre for Energy, few ASEAN Member States (AMS) at the national level (e.g. Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, The Philippines, and Vietnam) have launched several initiatives that position women as core drivers of community-based energy projects, with most are financed through development finance, philanthropic or blended finance schemes.
Additionally, the International Energy Agency (IEA) highlights initiatives like the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-fi), housed in the World Bank Group, which aims to provide women in developing countries with access to finance, markets, training, and networks. The Women in Technology Venture Fund (WIT) from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) also provides funding for women-led technology companies, while the Eileen Fisher Women-Owned Business Grant Program helps female entrepreneurs expand their businesses and create positive social and environmental impacts. Other examples include the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Community Action Grants for women and girls in STEM, and the Amber Foundation Grant, which offers small grants for women interested in starting new businesses.
Looking back to 2022 when the Asia Development Bank conducted a virtual seminar talking about Women in the Green Economy, several best practices were highlighted, including the SIDA-funded EmPower-Women for Climate Resilient Societies project, which supports women energy entrepreneurs in the Pacific region, where women’s contributions to agriculture and fisheries conservation are often undervalued. The project recognises their potential to drive change, despite limited access to resources such as technology, tools, financing, and land rights. Additionally, Frontier Markets, with its network of 30,000 rural women entrepreneurs, has connected over 1 million households and sold 20 million products, including solar power solutions. In India, the Saheli e-commerce app, designed by women for women, aids rural customers in accessing clean energy information and solutions. The UNDP’s Gender-Responsive Just Energy Transition Pilot Project in Indonesia also empowers women through training in clean energy, digital literacy, and financial inclusion, fostering the establishment of women-led businesses in remote villages. The Jakarta Post, in 2021, emphasised ASEAN’s need for gender-sensitive energy policies, better data, and more support for women in leadership, STEM education, and entrepreneurship. It also highlighted global initiatives such as SEforALL, Women at the Forefront Initiative, and Clean Energy, Education and Empowerment (C3E) by IEA to further promote women’s roles in the energy sector.
Empowering women as energy entrepreneurs in ASEAN’s transition to a green economy is crucial for driving sustainable energy transition. Women play a pivotal role in fostering innovation and delivering effective clean energy solutions. While progress has been made through initiatives like the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework and the Declaration on Women’s Entrepreneurship, significant gender disparities persist, especially in leadership roles and access to financing. A holistic, multisectoral approach involving governments, the private sector, academia, civil society, and media is essential to ensure that women are fully included in the green economy. Best practices, such as community-based energy projects and global initiatives, highlight the potential of women entrepreneurs to advance renewable energy. However, without check and balances in terms of planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation from the incorporation of penta-helix, women risk being continually hindered in maximising their potential in this growing sector. This underscores the need for tailored, inclusive solutions across ASEAN member states.
Livia Liannasari is a Research Assistant at the ASEAN Climate Change and Energy Project (ACCEPT).
The views, opinions, and information expressed in this article were compiled from sources believed to be reliable for information and sharing purposes only, and are solely those of the writer/s. They do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) or the ASEAN Member States. Any use of this article’s content should be by ACE’s permission.
ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) is an intergovernmental organisation within ASEAN structure that represents the 10 ASEAN Member States’ (AMS) interests in the energy sector.