Advocates across Africa are calling for a paradigm shift in the way women’s contributions are viewed in the activism space.

According to them, women's role in the advancement of causes such as social justice in the extractives industry cannot be overemphasized.

This was highlighted at the Africa Regional Conference on Women in Energy Movement Building, where women leaders from Uganda, DR Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria converged here in Accra.

The women came from different faith communities to present how the activities of their respective governments and corporations in the fossil fuel and extractive sectors are contributing to environmental decay.

At the event organized by Green Faith and SYND Ghana, they shared personal stories of how institutional and socio-cultural bottlenecks have stifled their efforts to seek justice.

Executive Director of Lamu Women Alliance in Kenya, Raya Famau explained that "as women we have a lot of challenges and one of them is cultural challenges."

"I can say somehow religious challenges but religion has been the stereotype because as Muslims, the religion has really protected women but there are a lot of stereotypes in the community that puts women down. So, one of them, is a lot of women are very poor in my community and there is also lack of education and then people think like activist should only be men, so women are not supposed to be activist. They are supposed to be in the house cooking and taking care of the children in the house."

Addressing journalists, the Global Director for Programmes at GreenFaith, Meryne Warah lamented that too many women are being sidelined in this struggle.

"That makes me feel very disappointed because women are not usually the first people, people think about to bring some of the solutions at the grassroot level or even at the national level. It is quite a fact that women are affected ..but listening to women speaking their truth and being very eager to go back and do something is also giving me hope."

"I believe that they will go back in their different places of worship, in their communities, in their traditional ways and they will mobilise other women and young girls so that they can disseminate the same information they have gotten hear. As much I feel a bit sad and disappointed that women have for a long been left out of this conversation, I am also filled with hope."

However, she was optimistic that the ideas shared at the conference will help empower more women and restore sustainability on the continent.

The group demanded the halting of new fossil fuel projects, support for locally-owned renewable energy for African women, innovative climate financing, inclusive energy policies, and green jobs.