African Women Leaders Network: A movement for the transformation of Africa

The pandemic has exposed and amplified critical gender gaps in ways that provide us with important opportunities to lead constructive response. Even before the pandemic, African women’s contributions to their countries’ socioeconomic development were unrecognized and undervalued, although they constitute 72% of the agricultural labour force, 70% of the informal sector and over 70% of the frontline health care workforce. These women, in these sectors are vital to recovery and need to be intentionally targeted in recovery measures.

Reproductive health

Another area of focus is women’s and adolescent girls’ reproductive health, where services have been deprioritized as a result of the public health emergency. These services remain vital, and are especially important in view of the sharp spike in reports of domestic and gender-based violence, and the huge increase in child marriages and early pregnancy among girls due to school closure. The fact that, in Ethiopia, women’s groups have prevented 500 child marriages since the pandemic started, shows that reversing these trends is possible.

African women’s contributions to their countries’ socioeconomic development were unrecognized and undervalued, although they constitute 72% of the agricultural labour force, 70% of the informal sector and over 70% of the frontline health care workforce.

In addition, issues of access to adequate protective equipment, which is vital for frontline health and care workers, and of access to relevant information on public health issues must be addressed. In Africa, 70% of the population still do not have access to the internet and the digital divide is most acutely experienced by women and girls.

Compounding gender discrimination and the diversion of funds from programmes on women’s empowerment are also impacting negatively on women’s contributions to peace and security. Yet, women’s solidarity and resilience are a unique social capital that should be used as a resource and engaged actively in peacebuilding processes.

Elections – the springboard from which women can be propelled into political leadership – are now under threat as governments enforce emergency measures on movement or curtail free speech in response to a new “Infodemic”. In countries planning for elections, governments must ensure free and fair participation of women under the new circumstances, including as members of election monitoring mechanisms.