A review of the economic performance of African countries reveals remarkable economic growth in the past decade, averaging 5 to 7 per cent, and boasting 6 out of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world. Growth on the supply side has been driven by agriculture, extractive industries, construction and the services sectors, while the demand-driven side was boosted by private consumption and infrastructure investments. This promising outlook is expected to continue into
2015 and 2016 with Africa’s overall GDP growth expected to rise to 4.5 per cent in 2015 (from 3.9 per cent in 2014) and 5 per cent in 2016.

This rosy picture masks greatly alarming gender inequities and exclusion in the core sectors driving this economic growth, with negative multiplier effects on women’s socio-economic and political empowerment. Gender parity in education at secondary and tertiary level in Africa is still alarmingly low, with women science researchers reported to stand at 33 per cent only – the lowest in all developing regions. It is tragic that if the current rate of progress continues unchanged, it will take Africa 81 years to achieve gender equality; having overshot Agenda 2063 by 33 additional years.

This state of affairs led to the designation by the African Heads of States and governments of 2015 as the Year of Women’s empowerment and development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063. It is to support the year that the African Union
Commission (AUC) decided to develop the African Gender Scorecard. The aim of the scorecard is to measure national progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in seven core sectors (health, employment, the business sector, access to credit, access to land, women in politics and decision-making, education at secondary and tertiary levels). The scorecard also seeks to amplify the call for the collection, analysis, storage and dissemination of sex and gender disaggregated data to support gender analysis of policies and programmes within the framework of the on-going
data revolution in Africa.

It is the hope of the AUC that this scorecard will catalyze the achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment in all spheres of life - by the target year 2030 – as envisioned by Goal 17 of the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063.

Report by the African Union Commission