Attorney Saifua Mai Gray, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Oil Company of Liberia(NOCAL) has been accorded a continental recognition with her name being listed among 100 female executives in the oil and gas sector in their respective countries, the sector that has been globally dominated by males for many years. However, many African women are making their mark in this field through exceptional skills, hard work and unwavering determination.
According to African Shapers, an information outlet which published the list and whose preoccupation is dedicated to news from actors in a rapidly changing Africa said study conducted by McKinsey in 2020, women make up just 15% of the World’s oil and gas workforce; 17th of the power and utilities sector and 32% of the renewable energy workforce. In Africa and the Middle East, the study says women make up just 9% of senior management positions in the energy sector, with gender diversity decreasing with seniority. Women make up less than 8% of technical jobs in the oil and gas sector and just 9% of management positions in the utility sector.
The information hub described Atty Mai-Gray as a savvy advocate and skilled contract negotiator in both the natural resources and traditional sectors. “An expert in negotiation and litigation, she is known to have brought to NOCAL a thorough understanding and application of domestic and international regulatory requirements and legal framework, coupled with international best practices to enhance transparency and accountability, competitiveness and sustainability”, the media entity said.
The report noted that long before being appointed by President George Manneh Weah in 2018 as NOCAL boss, Atty Saifuah Mai-Gray worked at the International Law Group, an international law firm with a focus on oil and gas. It said she held the position of General Counsel and then Managing Director where she demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic direction, which contributed significantly to IGL’s overall success.
Atty Saifuah Mai-Gray holds a Bachelor of law degree from the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia and had earlier bagged a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Liberia. She is a member of the Liberia National Bar Association, the Liberian Women Lawyers Association, and the JSGB Legal Services, an association of several prominent women lawyers in Liberia committed to ensuring the human rights of women and children in Liberia.
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