Psychological, economic and political empowerment of women need to be further strengthened for them to play an active role in the political and economic stability in Africa.
Historically, women have been underrepresented in higher education in Africa.
Empowering women through higher education involves promoting leadership opportunities in the higher education institutions for their academic and professional success.
It means advocating for gender equality, social and economic change in Africa.
In 2023, United Nations Institute for Training and Research launched digital skills development programs for women in Africa.
The program is divided into three phases including online training, Self-led Projects and Virtual Boot Camp and Sustainability and Community Leadership Training.
Also Read: The Role of Higher Learning Institutions in Africa’s Development
Currently, enrollment of women in institutions of higher learning is critical. 7.19 percent of women are enrolled in higher education institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Limited number of women around the world who occupy academic positions are in Africa.
Although the United Nations has launched several initiatives for women empowerment through higher education in Africa, a higher success rate for the women empowerment through higher education is critical.
Challenges for African Women
Discouraging attitude of parents, financial constraints, early marriages and customs of tribal system have been commonly observed as major barriers in empowering the African women through higher education.
At the same time, the highest rate of child marriages has been observed in West and Central Africa.
Notably, about 41 percent girls marry before reaching the age of 18 in the Western and Central African regions.
According to the Africa Health Organization, more than 250 million women alive today were married before their 15th birthday.
Economic hardship and limited access to higher education characterizes many families in rural areas in Africa.
To put this into perspective, one in three African women become victims of domestic and sexual abuse, as per UN reports.
Furthermore, climate change and cultural beliefs also hinder African women from accessing higher education.
Existing Situation
Noteworthy, there is need to engage public and private sectors to realize women empowerment in Africa.
Gender inequality and gender-based violence are major hurdles in promoting the economic empowerment of African women.
Girls are less likely to access school. Dropout rate of girls is higher than for male students in Africa.
Several studies report that two thirds of 15- to 19-year-old girls in Northern Nigeria are unable to read. Similarly, opportunities for women in education sector are not so attractive.
In Somalia, economic issues and political instability are the major issues hindering access to formal education among girls.
On the other hand, in Kenya, only a small percentage of girls finish secondary, even though efforts are in place to bridge the gap.
In Ghana, opportunities of education for women are less particularly in rural area compared to South Sudan where only 27% of students enrolled in school are girls.
According to UNICEF, in Ethiopia, women are still under the darkness of illiteracy that needs to be immediately addressed. Successful initiatives have also been taken just like Burundi has made significant progress in adhering to international and regional normative commitments on gender equality and women’s conditions.
Also Read: Political Instability in Africa and Role of Education in Fixing the Situation
Elsewhere in Algeria, Education is mandatory and free for all Algerian children from age 6 through the 9 years of primary and lower secondary school.
On the other hand, a 2020 survey by UNESCO revealed that in Rwanda, primary school completion rate was at 68 percent for boys and 74 percent for girls.
Women economic empowerment is low in Africa. Women’s participation and representation in politics and governance needs to ensure further in view of the total population of women in Africa.
The Way Forward:
There is urgent need to address political and gender imbalance in Africa. Economic empowerment for African women continues to face barriers that should be immediately addressed.
Representation in the political and governing bodies needs to be further encouraged to achieve equal rights for women and political stability in Africa.
Political, social and cultural constraints need to be eliminated to allow for an active role of women in the development of Africa.
Particularly, cultural and tribal beliefs are the fundamental barriers for the enrollment of women in higher education in Africa.
Higher education with incentives should be accessible to underprivileged women.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel for real-time news updates:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaB3k54HltYFiQ1f2i2C
PHOTO/PCS.
