Apply now: Women in Energy Storage Mentoring Program 2026

To empower women as leaders of change and promote best practices for advancing gender diversity and inclusion in the energy storage sector, the Secretariat of the Energy Storage Partnership, hosted by the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), is once again collaborating with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) to launch a mentoring program specifically for women in energy storage.

Entering its fourth edition, the “Women in Energy Storage Mentoring Program”  is designed to accelerate the careers of women who currently hold junior and mid-level technical or management positions.

The program’s key goals are to:

• Identify a new generation of women leaders in the energy storage sector, and boost their careers through mentoring, international networking, and technical and soft-skills training;
• Help participants make strategic plans for their careers, and implement them;

• Increase women’s representation and permanence at managerial and decision-making levels, and in technical positions, ultimately advancing the energy transition.

This program provides a unique opportunity to help shape the future of energy storage while advancing women’s leadership in the sector, and has demonstrated strong results. Past participants reported expanding their international professional networks, strengthening technical and leadership skills, increasing their professional visibility, and gaining greater confidence to pursue career and leadership opportunities. In the previous cohort’s final survey, 94% of respondents rated their mentorship experience positively or extremely positively, while all respondents reported a positive impact on their personal and professional development. Here are examples of how former participants of the Women in Energy Storage Mentoring Program have described their experience:

• “The mentorship provided me with valuable guidance, helping me gain clarity, confidence and new perspectives in both my personal and professional development.” — Tasneem, previous WES mentee

• “Gaining access to my mentor’s deep expertise, connecting with inspiring mentees, and exchanging ideas through insightful webinars greatly enriched my understanding.” — Nomathemba, previous WES mentee

Apply as a Mentee

The program is open to women who:

• Are nationals of IBRD and/or IDA borrowing countries in Africa (AFR), Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA), South Asia (SAR), East Asia and Pacific (EAP), Europe and Central Asia (ECA), or Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). [i]
• Are currently working in, or hold a professional role directly related to, the energy storage sector
• Are working in a junior/middle management position
• Have 2 – 6 years of relevant work experience

Interested participants must fill out a form that will be reviewed by a committee formed by GWNET and ESMAP. 20 mentees will be selected.

Selected participants will benefit from the following:

• Careful matchmaking and continuous support by the GWNET Secretariat, alongside ESMAP;
• 7 months of bilateral interaction with a mentor who is a senior professional in the space, focused on mutually agreed-upon professional development targets;
• A series of curated knowledge-transfer webinars covering technical and soft skills, tailored to needs stated by the mentee cohort;
• Virtual networking opportunities;
• Certification of completion.

How to apply: If you fulfil all the application criteria and are interested in applying, please fill in the application form.

Applications are due by October 9th, 2026 and must be completed in English.

Call for Mentors

The program is also looking for senior professionals working in the energy sector (both men and women, preferably with energy storage experience) to serve as mentors and support the personal and professional development of participants.

If you are interested in volunteering as a mentor (which involves approximately. 1 – 1.5 hours of engagement per month), fill out the GWNET Mentor Datasheet. The mentee-mentor pairing process will be based on how closely the goals of the mentee match the skills and experience of the mentor.

Kindly note that the program will be in English and professional working proficiency is required.

The deadline for applications is October 9^th, 2026.

For further information, please contact info@globalwomennet.org and esmap_wes@worldbank.org

About the Energy Storage Partnership (ESP)

ESP is a global partnership convened by the World Bank Group to foster international cooperation to adapt and develop energy storage solutions for developing countries. Today, the unique requirements of developing countries’ grids are not yet fully considered in the current battery storage market – even though these countries may have the largest potential for battery deployment. Recognizing the need to catalyze a new market for batteries and other energy storage solutions in developing countries, ESP aims to promote a better understanding of energy storage solutions in developing countries by focusing on: Power systems and safety; Test beds for knowledge and capacity building; Testing protocols and validation of performance; Flexible sector coupling; Decentralized energy storage solutions and mini-grids; Procurement frameworks and enabling policies; and Recycling systems and standards. For more information, please visit the website and LinkedIn page.

About the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP)

ESMAP (Energy Sector Management Assistance Program) is the World Bank Group partnership helping low- and middle-income countries deploy sustainable energy solutions to boost economic growth and reduce poverty. ESMAP is managed and staffed by the World Bank Group but funded separately by more than 20 donor governments and philanthropies. We support countries to secure universal energy access by 2030, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 7, while transitioning from fossil fuel energy sources to low-carbon energy solutions such as solar and wind power. ESMAP also helps countries increase their energy sectors’ climate resilience. We turn evidence into action by conducting research and aggregating data to make policy recommendations and advising World Bank Group energy projects. We also make donor contributions available as grants for planning and feasibility studies or help mobilize financing from third parties, including the private sector. For more information, visit esmap.org.

[i] The program is open to nationals of the IBRD and/or IDA borrowing countries. These countries are listed below:

Africa (AFR): Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Dem. Rep., Congo, Rep., Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, The, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA): Afghanistan, Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Arab Rep., Iran, Islamic Rep., Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Pakistan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Yemen, Rep.

South Asia (SAR): Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka

Europe and Central Asia (ECA): Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

East Asia Pacific (EAP): Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Viet Nam

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC): Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, RB