Munachiso Elekwa, Sydani Institute for Research and Innovation 

Gender equality and inclusion have moved from the margins of development discourse to the centre of global and African policy agendas. Under Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5), governments are committed to achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls by 2030. Progress is real and measurable, but it remains structurally shallow and fragile. While access to education, health services, and employment has expanded, gains in power, economic security, and decision-making have lagged. This gap matters because inclusion without influence rarely delivers lasting change. 

In this context, gender equality and inclusion refer not only to equal access to opportunities but to the ability of women and girls to exercise agency, shape decisions, and benefit equitably from social and economic systems. Understanding where we are today requires looking clearly at both global trends and Africa-specific realities and recognising the difference between participation and power. 

One of the most visible areas of progress has been education. Globally, gender gaps in primary education have narrowed substantially, and in many regions they have closed. In sub-Saharan Africa, female enrolment in primary education increased from about 79 percent in 2000 to over 90 percent by 2022 (UNESCO, 2023). Countries such as Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Ghana achieved these gains through targeted fee abolition, school feeding programmes, and incentives for girls’ enrolment. However, access alone does not tell the full story. Learning outcomes, dropout rates, and transitions to secondary education remain significant challenges, particularly for girls in rural and low-income households. 

At the secondary level, progress has been slower but meaningful. In Eastern and Southern Africa, female lower secondary enrolment rose by more than 15 percentage points between 2005 and 2021 (World Bank, 2024). These gains matter because education is strongly linked to broader outcomes. Each additional year of secondary education for girls is associated with higher lifetime earnings, delayed marriage, lower fertility rates, improved maternal and child health, and greater participation in the labour market. Where girls complete secondary education, the benefits extend beyond individuals to households, health systems, and national productivity. 

Women’s participation in the economy has also increased, but here the limits of progress become clearer. Across Africa, women account for roughly 39 percent of formal employment, up from about 31 percent in 2000 (African Development Bank Group & UNECA, 2023). However, over 85 percent of working women in sub-Saharan Africa are employed in the informal sector, where wages are low, job security is limited, and social protection is minimal. This distinction between formal and informal work is critical. Participation without protection reinforces vulnerability rather than reducing it. 

Leadership and decision-making remain among the most persistent gaps. Women hold approximately 24 percent of parliamentary seats across Africa and less than one-fifth of senior management roles (African Development Bank Group & United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, 2023). Rwanda stands out as a notable exception, with women occupying over 60 percent of parliamentary seats. This outcome reflects deliberate institutional design, including gender quotas embedded in the constitution, party-level commitments, and sustained investment in women’s leadership pipelines. Elsewhere, progress has been slower due to structural barriers such as political financing constraints, social norms, and the unequal burden of unpaid care work. 

These patterns point to a central insight: access has improved faster than power. Girls are more likely to attend school, and women are more likely to work, but control over resources, time, and decision-making remains limited. Legal reforms have expanded rights on paper, yet implementation often lags, particularly around land ownership, inheritance, workplace protections, and care policies (World Bank, 2023). Without addressing these structural constraints, gains remain vulnerable to reversal. 

That vulnerability is becoming more visible. Economic shocks, climate-related disruptions, and conflict disproportionately affect women and girls, eroding hard-won progress. The COVID-19 pandemic alone pushed an estimated 47 million women into extreme poverty globally and widened gender gaps in employment and education (United Nations, 2025). Climate stress and displacement further increase unpaid care burdens and exposure to gender-based violence, reinforcing the fragility of progress that is not systemically anchored. 

Moving forward, achieving SDG 5 will require a shift from fragmented interventions to system-wide change. This means investing in childcare systems, parental leave, social protection, and labour market reforms that enable women’s economic power. Education strategies must prioritise completion, learning quality, and pathways into productive employment, not enrolment alone. Strong national statistical systems are also essential. Without reliable, gender-disaggregated data, policymakers cannot track progress, identify gaps, or allocate resources effectively. 

Gender equality is not only a social objective; it is an economic and system performance issue. Countries with higher gender parity tend to experience stronger productivity, more stable demographic transitions, and greater fiscal sustainability. The McKinsey Global Institute (2019) estimates that advancing gender equality could add up to 12 trillion United States dollars to global gross domestic product, with significant potential gains for African economies. 

At Sydani, we view gender equality and inclusion as foundational to effective health systems, resilient economies, and sustainable development. Over the next five years, policymakers, funders, and institutions must move beyond access-focused metrics and invest in the structures that convert participation into power. Progress is possible, but without deliberate system reform, it will remain fragile. The question is no longer whether gender equality delivers value, but whether we are willing to build the systems that make it last. 

References 

1. African Development Bank Group, & United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. (2023). Africa gender index 2023: Analytical report. African Development Bank Group. 
   https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/african-development-bank-group-and-united-nations-economic-commission-africa-authored-africa-gender-index-2023-analytical-report-reveals-progress-gender-equality-remains-only-half-achieved-80286 
2. McKinsey Global Institute. (2019). The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in Africa. McKinsey & Company. 
   https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/gender-equality/the-power-of-parity-advancing-womens-equality-in-africa 
3. United Nations. (2025). The Sustainable Development Goals report 2025: Goal 5 – Gender equality. United Nations Statistics Division. 
   https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2025/goal-05/ 
4. United Nations. (n.d.). Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. 
   https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal5 
5. UNESCO. (2023). No country in sub-Saharan Africa has achieved gender parity in both primary and secondary education. Global Education Monitoring Report. 
   https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en/articles/no-country-sub-saharan-africa-has-achieved-gender-parity-both-primary-and-secondary-education 
6. World Bank. (2024). Transforming the lives of women and girls in Eastern and Southern Africa. World Bank Group. 
   https://www.worldbank.org/en/results/2024/01/04/transforming-the-lives-of-women-and-girls-in-afe-eastern-and-southern-africa 
7. World Economic Forum. (2025). Global gender gap report 2025. World Economic Forum. 
   https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2025/