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POLICY AND ECONOMIC REPORT
OIL & GAS MARKET

Looking at women’s opportunities in the economy more generally, the World Bank has developed
a Women, Business, and the Law index. The index combines indicators of the legal environment for
women within employment and entrepreneurship on a scale from 0 to 100. Globally, the index stood at
78.9 in 2023 covering regional averages ranging from 54.7 percent in the Middle East and North Africa
to 95.6 in North America. Looking at individual countries, only 14 of them received the perfect score of
100, ensuring equal rights for women and men across the dimensions investigated. At the other end of
the spectrum 14 other countries received a score below 50, signaling the need for significant reforms to
improve the legal framework surrounding women’s economic opportunities.

Figure 7: Women, Business and Law Index for the year 2023 across regions (scale 1-100)

Source- World Development Indicators

4. First G20 Energy Transition Working Group (ETWG) Meeting held virtually in South Africa

The Energy Transition Working Group (ETWG) convened the inaugural meeting on 27 – 28 February
2025, virtually. The meeting held at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO),
was co-chaired by Mr Jacob Mbele and Mr Subesh Pillay, Directors-General of Department of Mineral
Resources and Energy (DMRE) and Department of Electricity end Energy, respectively.

The opening remarks were delivered by the Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr. Kgosientsho
Ramokgopa who outlined that significant global developments underscore the complex relationship
between energy policies, geopolitical realities, and economic imperatives. The political economy of
energy continues to shape global stability, environmental sustainability, and economic resilience,
compelling a need to strike a delicate balance between national sovereign interests and our shared
global commitments.

The meeting outlined South Africa’s vision for the ETWG that seeks to leverage the collective strength of
G20 nations to forge innovative pathways towards inclusive, sustainable, and resilient energy futures

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