The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has affirmed its support for initiatives aimed at empowering women across Africa.
At a forum in Abuja, the UN agency said Africa is being threatened by cases of gender inequality.
It also called on public and private organizations to expand capabilities and opportunities for women to sustain human development.
The report focusing squarely on accelerating gender equality and women’s empowerment in Africa, is mapping out four broad strategies and six key accelerators to save Africa up to 95 billion Dollars lost annually to the gender equality gap.
The UNDP Strategic Advisor, Angela Lusigi, said Africa’s commitment to women’s rights must be reflected strategically, such as revaluing domestic work, eliminating harmful societal and institutional norms, and economic exclusion for women.
The last declaration on gender equality and empowerment in Africa was made in 2003, in Maputo, Mozambique, a declaration that set a high pace for gender mainstreaming and equality in Africa.
Although there has been progress and positive inflections on gender matters since then, 13 years after, the UNDP, is out with a human development report asking that much more be done to bridge the gender gap on the continent.
Director UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa, Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, said there is rising human development around the globe, however, this is threatened in Africa by gender inequality.
According to him, the 2016 human development report is set to address that, crucially with the help of the African Development Bank.
Henceforth, as an outcome of the forum, Africa is expected to make gender equality a priority, if it hopes to achieve sustainable and progressive development, tackle institutional norms directly, and make critical gender choices as well as investments.
