Vivo Energy Ghana is taking its annual She Power Summit to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) College of Engineering in Kumasi for the first time this Wednesday, March 12, introducing a new engineering innovation competition that aims to turn student ideas into commercially viable energy solutions.
Corporate Communications Manager Shirley Tony Kum announced the event on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday, describing the third edition as a deliberate shift toward practical, solutions-driven engagement beyond the panel discussions that defined the summit’s earlier editions.
The summit’s headline new feature is the NextGen Energy Innovators Challenge, a programme that will task engineering students with identifying real industry problems and developing prototype solutions. Vivo Energy is partnering with KNUST’s innovation hub to provide students with a platform to present and exhibit those prototypes at the summit, with the strongest ideas supported toward eventual commercialisation.
“We are partnering with the university’s innovation hub so students can showcase solutions they have developed to tackle industry challenges,” Kum said.
The event will also feature an all-female keynote speaker, an all-female industry panel, and a separate all-female student panel addressing the structural barriers women encounter in STEM education and careers. More than 500 participants are expected to attend in person, with the proceedings streamed live across Vivo Energy Ghana’s social media platforms.
Kum said the energy sector’s strategic importance made closing the gender participation gap a pressing economic issue, not simply a social one.
“The energy sector is one of the strategic areas that drive economies, innovation, and sustainable development. Leaving women behind means leaving out half of the talent needed to drive that progress,” she said.
She noted that despite growing educational access, women in engineering and technology continue to face unconscious bias, limited mentorship, and restricted professional networks, challenges the She Power platform directly targets by connecting students with established professionals.
The She Power initiative, which won the overall award at Vivo Energy’s 2024 Group Awards in Cape Town ahead of 37 entries from 28 countries, was expanded into a full annual summit in 2025. This year’s Kumasi edition marks the programme’s first foray beyond Accra.
