March is widely recognised as Women’s Month in Cabo Verde, with both International Women’s Day (08 March) and Cabo Verdean Women’s Day (27 March) being celebrated nationwide. In recognition of this, the project Cabo Verde – Electric Vehicles (EVs), funded by the Mitigation Action Facility (MAF), took the opportunity to highlight the role of women in STEM and advocate for gender equality in the mobility sector. As part of its Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Action Plan, the project collaborated with the University of Cabo Verde (Uni-CV) to host an interactive film debate on 28 March, aiming to inspire and empower female students in technical fields.
Women remain underrepresented in STEM careers, particularly in technical disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering. The MAF-funded project is tackling this challenge by actively fostering gender-inclusive education and creating professional development opportunities in the e-mobility sector.
At Uni-CV’s Praia campus, the event provided a space for young women to explore career pathways, exchange experiences, and engage in critical discussions about gender inclusivity and sustainable mobility.
Event Highlights
- Film Screening: The event featured a screening of Ouaga Girls, a documentary that follows young women in Burkina Faso training to become mechanics, challenging gender stereotypes in male-dominated fields.
- Inspirational talks by two experts:
- Ms. Ângela Veiga, a Cabo Verdean mechanical engineer and beneficiary of the project’s High-Voltage Electric Vehicle Maintenance training.
- Prof. Keila Robalo, PhD, Coordinator of the Mechanical and Civil Engineering Programmes at Uni-CV.
- Open and Supportive Discussion:
- Female students shared their personal experiences.
- A Q&A session addressed key topics on electric mobility, including energy cost savings with EV adoption; safety considerations of noise-free vehicles; career opportunities in the growing EV sector.
- Future Collaboration: Recognising the need for deeper technical discussions, Prof. Robalo proposed a follow-up event dedicated to the technical aspects of electric mobility, further strengthening knowledge exchange between academia and industry.
Through its GESI Action Plan, the MAF-funded project not only celebrated Cabo Verdean Women’s Month but inspires the next generation of female leaders to pursue technical and engineering careers while reinforcing the importance of inclusive and sustainable mobility solutions for the future of Cabo Verde.
Open discussion between female experts and students during the event.