Women and development policies in African States

Abstract

Development policies have been touted as instrumental in propelling socioeconomic progress in Africa at regional/continental, subregional, and national levels. They have been purportedly aimed at expediting change in the socioeconomic conditions of various constituents, including women. In Africa, various development policies both externally and internally driven and oriented have tended to negate the veritable and vital contributions of women at various levels of policy formulation and execution. Consequently, the application of these policies tends to be harsh on women and help perpetuate their invisibility and impoverishment. This chapter explored the effects of development policies such as the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs), Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Agenda 2030 among others on African women. It establishes how this has contributed in thwarting African development and impacted women negatively. These policies have usually been gender-neutral, thereby being gender-blind and ultimately gender-discriminatory. It is argued therefore that the exclusion of women at various levels of formulation and implementation of development policies hasundermined the effectiveness of these policies and explains their minimal results. Africa's development policies need to be better designed and applied to respond to gender needs.