Expanding Women’s Inclusion in Ghana's Cooling Sector

Stakeholders validate Gender Equality Strategy to increase women’s participation, skills and leadership in refrigeration and air-conditioning.

September 3, 2026

“I have the skills and the interest to work in this space. But sometimes, getting accepted as a woman is still the difficult part. After a while, constantly having to prove that you belong can dampen your spirit.”

For 32-year-old Diana Quaicoe, a female skilled worker in refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC), and a member of the Women in Refrigeration Association, this is one of the many challenges women face in Ghana’s RAC sector.

Diana notes that even with the technical capacity gained through the training, women generally struggle to gain acceptance and find opportunities to practice and grow their skills in a sector that is dominated by men.
Her experience echoes findings of a recent 2026 UNDP-Government of Ghana gender analysis conducted to inform the country’s Gender Equality Strategy for the RAC sub-sector. The analysis found that women remain significantly underrepresented in the industry accounting for 6.8% enrolment in the sector.

Limited awareness among girls and young women of RAC as a viable career path, combined with patriarchal norms , perceptions that the sector is more suited to men, combine to challenge access to training and form workplace attitudes that contribute to discouraging women from entering and remaining in the field.

These challenges are becoming increasingly significant as demand for cooling grows. Refrigeration and air-conditioning are essential for healthcare, agriculture, food preservation, hospitality and other areas of Ghana’s economy. As the country transitions towards more sustainable cooling, demand for qualified professionals will continue to rise, making it essential to expand opportunities for women to enter and advance in the sector.

The Gender Equality Strategy in development by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will propose measures to increase women’s participation across the sector.

The recommendations include intensifying early outreach to girls and young women through Junior High School and Senior High School programmes to introduce them to opportunities in RAC. Additionally, the strategy also calls for gender-responsive training that can make RAC more inclusive and responsive to the needs of women.

Beyond recruitment and training, the strategy identifies the need to improve women’s retention and progression in the sector. This includes creating supportive working environments, increasing opportunities for women to take up leadership roles and strengthening institutional and policy frameworks that support gender equality.

These issues were highlighted and discussed at the Stakeholder Validation Workshop on the Gender Equality Strategy for Ghana’s RAC Sub-Sector, organised by the EPA and UNDP on 21st August, under the Institutional Strengthening (Phase XVI) Project, with support from the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.

The workshop brought together representatives from government, the RAC industry, and women’s groups to review the findings of the gender analysis and provide inputs into the draft strategy and its implementation plan.

UNDP Ghana’s Head of Environment and Climate, Dr. Abdul Razak-Saeed, stressed the importance of collective action as demand for cooling grows.

“As demand for cooling continues to grow, we must ensure that women have equal access to the opportunities this sector creates. This requires us to work together to remove the barriers that limit women’s participation. If we are to shape a stronger and more inclusive future for the sector, the commitment of all stakeholders will be essential.”

Joseph Amankwa Baffoe, Programmes Coordinator of the National Ozone Unit at the EPA, also highlighted the need for gender to be fully considered in the development of the sector.

“Women continue to face significant barriers to entering and advancing in the refrigeration and air-conditioning sector. Gender must therefore be fully integrated into our efforts to develop the sector. The Government of Ghana remains committed to creating an enabling environment where women can access opportunities, build their skills and contribute meaningfully to the future of sustainable cooling.”

The validation workshop provided an opportunity for stakeholders to validate the strategy and ensure that the proposed actions are practical and responsive to the realities women face in the sector.

For Diana and other women already working in RAC, technical competence should translate into meaningful opportunities to practice their profession, advance their careers, assume leadership roles and help shape the future of Ghana’s growing cooling sector.