Abhatoo - Centre Nationale de Documentation

In the context of a changing world, the 2030 Development Agenda and the fact that women hold up half of the sky, the continent’s development aspirations as articulated in Agenda 2063 would not be realized if half of humanity is left behind. The 2016 African Human Development Report draws from this perspective and provides a substantive contribution to the development discourse on gender equality and women’s empowerment in Africa.
The report is a stark reminder that gender equality is a critical enabler of all development. If development is not engendered, it is endangered. Adopting a novel political economy approach by unearthing social norms, cultural practices and institutional settings that impinge on gender equality and women’s empowerment, the report examines the political, economic and social processes that hamper African women’s advancement and proposes strategies, policies and concrete actions.
As African women attain higher measures of economic and social well-being, all of society benefits. Giant strides have been made in improving African women’s economic and political participation.
Yet, the pace of accelerating gender equality has been slower than hoped for and more inconsistent than desired as limited progress has been made in addressing social norms and institutions that perpetuate gender inequality.
As a result, too many African women remain trapped at the lower end of the spectrum of economic opportunities, perpetuating the same socio-economic status for their families. Today, African women achieve only 87 percent of the human development outcomes of men. Gender inequality in the labour market alone cost sub-Saharan Africa about USD 105 billion in 2014 – equivalent to 6% of GDP.
Given such gender disparities, achieving the SDGs and Africa’s Agenda 2063 would just be an aspiration, and not a reality. This report proposes an Agenda for Action with seven courses of action to accelerate gender equality and women’s empowerment :
• Adopt effective legislative and policy reforms for women’s empowerment and using gender equality as the organizing policy lens for all development planning and implementation;
• Develop capabilities and accountability to increase women’s participation and leadership in decision-making at all levels of society;
• Address the root causes of discriminatory health and education practices, breaking down harmful social norms and cultural barriers that impede gender equality;
• Support equitable access to land, financial services, equal pay and equal employment for African women including establishing an African Women Investment Bank and opening Women Investment Windows in Development Banks;
• Undertake strategic decisions and investments to create more capable, socially responsive, equally representative and agile institutions that lead to a more equitable and inclusive society;
• Pursue gender responsive analysis and development monitoring as well as more effective sharing of knowledge, tools and experiences across countries and regions; and
• Forge stronger alliances among all segments of society towards a common agenda for action to accelerate gender equality and women’s empowerment in Africa including the commitment of public and private sector institutions, civil society organizations to a Gender Equality Seal certification initiative for Africa.