%20(3).png)
For Kiesha Farnum, Head of Partnerships and Programmes at the Caribbean Centre forRenewable Energy and Energy Efficiency1(CCREEE), the story of the energy transition in the Caribbean is very personal. Energy is deeply woven into dignity, development and stability. Growing up and working in a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), she witnessed firsthand how climate and by extension energy vulnerability directly affect food security, public finance, jobs and even national sovereignty.
She has seen how strategies, policies and commitments can falter without the institutional strength to carry them forward. As she puts it, “If we are serious about accelerating the energy transition in SIDS, we must invest in projects andinstitutions… That institutional backbone is what ultimately turns ambition into implementation.”
But even the strongest institutions cannot succeed without people at the center. “Community ownership determines sustainability. Projects succeed when local stakeholders especially women, youth and MSMEs are engaged as equal partners, not recipients.”
The Caribbean faces structural barriers that continue to slow progress. Kiesha identifies these challenges: “Key gaps include limited access to concessional finance, regulatory fragmentation, grid constraints and skills shortages in emerging technologies. There is also a persistent gender gap in technical and leadership roles in the energy andindustrial sectors.”
This is where her belief in regional cooperation becomes central. “Regional cooperation allows us to harmonize standards, pool procurement, build shared training platforms and advocate collectively for international climate and energy finance. Small markets canstruggle individually, but collectively the Caribbean becomes investable, bankable and strategically relevant.”
For women, this regional approach expands opportunities that might otherwise remain out of reach. As Kiesha explains, “Regional platforms create networks, mentorship pathways and visibility.”
Central to Kiesha’s work is a redefinition of what gender-responsive climate financetruly means. “Gender is not solely about women; it examines how diverse groups of women and men shaped by factors such as age, income, disability, and location experience the energy transition and economic growth and development differently.” She challenges surface-level approaches that focus only on allocation without addressing underlying barriers. “Gender-responsive climate finance must move beyond simply earmarking funds for women,” she emphasizes.
Instead, it must confront the structural realities that limit access and scale: “access to collateral, land tenure constraints, procurement requirements, credit history gaps and underrepresentation in decision-making bodies.” Without intentional design, financial systems can unintentionally exclude the very groups they aim to support.
At the same time, Kiesha brings nuance to the gender conversation, recognizing that progress is often uneven and incomplete. “While headline indicators suggest progress, structural inequities persist beneath the surface.” Women may be advancing in education and workforce participation, but remain underrepresented in technical roles, senior management and decision-making spaces.
Inclusion, she argues, must be comprehensive. “If we fail to address educational disengagement among boys… we risk widening other forms of inequality and in the long run the women in our societies ultimately pay the price.” For Kiesha, effective solutions require balance, ensuring that both women and men are equipped to contribute meaningfully to the region’s future. “Addressing both inequities is not contradictory, it is complementary… Inclusive development means ensuring that no one is left behind.”
This inclusive approach is an economic necessity. In many Caribbean economies, women play a central role in households, businesses and community systems. Yet when barriers limit their access to finance, training and decision-making, the impact is far-reaching.“If women lack access to finance, technical training, land ownership, procurement opportunities and decision-making power, we are effectively constraining half of our productive capacity. That is not only social inequity, it is an economic inefficiency.”
Kiesha sees the energy transition as a foundation for broader economic development. “If we treat energy transition as an industrial strategy, not only an environmental agenda, we unlock prosperity alongside decarbonization.”
From renewable energy deployment to green industrialization, the Caribbean has an opportunity to build new industries, create skilled jobs and leverage its unique geographic and natural assets. This includes frontier technologies such as offshore wind, wave and tidal energy. “If strategically developed, these technologies can anchor new blue-green industries, create specialized technical jobs, and redefine how SIDS leverage their ocean assets for prosperity and resilience.”
Within this transformation, leadership plays a defining role. Kiesha’s philosophy challenges traditional models, emphasizing collaboration, inclusion and shared accountability. “I have also learned that collaboration is strength. Leadership is not about occupying space; it is about creating space for others.” This mindset shapes how institutions are built and sustained. “Future-fit2 institutions are built by leaders who cultivate talent, distribute ownership and foster shared accountability”.
When women lead within this framework, the impact is both visible and profound. “When women lead, these dimensions often surface more intentionally: trust-based authority, systems thinking, coalition-building and a long-term sustainability outlook.
These qualities translate directly into how programmes are designed and delivered. “Projects become more participatory…implementation strategies are grounded in social and institutional realities…delivery becomes more integrated and impact driven.”
At the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE), these principles are embedded in practice. Through initiatives like Women in Renewable Energy (WIRE) and commitments such as the Gender and Energy Compact, the organization is workingto ensure that women are fully integrated into every stage of the energy transition. “Women are not beneficiaries of the energy transition, they are engineers, policymakers, financiers, innovators and co-creators,” explains Kiesha.
Her message to policymakers and regional leaders is direct: “Investing in women-led solutions is a strategic imperative. ”It is not simply about fairness; it is about unlocking the full potential of the region. “If the Caribbean is serious about energy security, climate resilience and economic diversification, it must unlock the full productivepotential of its population.”
Kiesha Farnum’s work is about closing the gap between vision and reality. It is about ensuring that the energy transition leads to something greater: resilience, equity and shared prosperity.
1 CCREEE is one of eight regional centres under the Global Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centres (GN-SEC) programme managed by UNIDO. For more information: https://www.gn-sec.net/.
2 The Architecture of Future-Fit Leadership by Kiesha Farnum
