Gender Should be Central to Africa’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Initiatives: ECA

Addis Ababa, September  4/2020( ENA) Unless a gender perspective is embraced in COVID-19 recovery initiatives, the ongoing global health pandemic will amplify existing gender disparities leading to worse outcomes for women in terms of livelihoods and well-being, an official of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) said. 

The remark was made on Thursday by the Director of the Gender, Poverty and Social Policy Division at the ECA, Thokozile Ruzvidzo, during a Gender is My Campaign (GIMAC), online campaign on the gendered effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ruzvidzo said on the occasion that COVID-19 recovery policy initiatives need to embrace a gender perspective to lessen deepening vulnerabilities of women, especially cross border traders.

“Women in African countries are in general concentrated in necessity-driven entrepreneurship in the services sector, market activities and cross-border trade in the informal economy. It is expected that the knock-on effects of border closures and market restrictions to deal with COVID-19 will be significant,” the Director stated.

She stated that women in the informal economy are more often found in the most vulnerable situations.

“Female predominance in informal cross-border trade is often attributed to women's time and mobility constraints, as well as to their limited access to productive resources and support systems, making such activities one of the few options available to them to earn a living,” said Ruzvidzo.

She further pointed out that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) presents new opportunities for women in Africa which can help in accelerating their economic empowerment in the aftermath of COVID -19 and related recovery efforts.

Although there is no separate chapter on trade and gender in the AfCFTA Agreement, the AfCFTA recognizes the importance of promoting gender equality that aims to promote and attain sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development, gender equality and structural transformation, she underscored.

“Gender mainstreaming in AfCFTA national implementation strategies is a key strategy to advance the objective of gender equality under the AfCFTA Agreement,” she noted.

The Director stressed the need for evidence-based interventions that tackle a range of barriers limiting women’s capacity to participate in new economic and trade opportunities are important.

Promoting access to finance, facilitating market links and market information, capacity building and expertise training on export and import procedures, mentorship, buyer and business network opportunities among other measures are needed to ensure women and men benefit equally in the implementation of AfCFTA, she stressed.

Gender is My Campaign (GIMAC) network and its partners this week started a new online campaign to showcase efforts by the African Union Commission and its member States as work towards COVID-19 recovery gathers momentum, it was learned.