Gender inclusion will power Africa's future

ALTHOUGH access to higher education has improved, sub-Saharan Africa still has the lowest enrollment rate globally, with only 9-10% compared to the global average of over 40%.

- MEEKNESS LUNGA-AYIDU

Even though we've come a long way, we still lag behind. Women make up 60% of the youth who are not enrolled in school, working, or receiving training.

Men are much more likely to own a well-established, growth-oriented company, even though women's involvement in early-stage and informal entrepreneurship throughout SSA now equals or even surpasses that of men. Young women face significant additional barriers when attempting to access education or enter the labour market.

Between 8 million and 11 million African youth will enter the labour market every year in the coming decades. Yet, only about 3 million new formal wage jobs are created yearly. Informal and self-employment are becoming the norm. Action from governments and the private sector is required to close the gap between the increase in the working-age population and lagging job growth.

At the 16th Quadrennial General Conference of the Association of African Universities (AAU) in Rabat this year, the British Council presented groundbreaking research in collaboration with the African Network for Internationalisation of Education (ANIE) titled 'Higher Education Gender Analysis: Access to Employability and Entrepreneurship Opportunities.'

The research exposes systemic barriers across Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. The findings are sobering.

Women in higher education still face discrimination, harassment, and exclusion from leadership positions. Gender policies, where they exist, remain poorly understood and rarely enforced. Female graduates face higher unemployment rates than their male counterparts, while socio-cultural norms continue to prioritise boys' education, contributing to early marriages and dropouts.