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<p>According to the African Union, an estimated 80 million children below five are malnourished. This not only stunts their growth but also hampers their potential contribution to the economy. CNBC Africa&#8217;s Fifi Peters speaks to Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group; and later with Farayi Zimudzi, Food and Agriculture Organisation&#8217;s Representative in Ethiopia and Beth Dunford, Vice President: Agriculture, Human &#038; Social Development, AfDB Organisation&#8217;s Representative in Ethiopia and AfDB&#8217;s Beth Dunford, Vice President of Agriculture, Human &#038; Social Development, on what it takes to address this.</p>


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Focus On: Addressing Malnutrition in Africa

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<p>Lake Chad, a water body responsible for the food security of about 50 million Africans has decreased in size by 92 per cent in recent decades. CNBC Africa&#8217;s Fifi Peters speaks to The African Development Bank’s Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, and Lake Chad Basin Commission Executive Secretary, Ambassador Mamman Nuhu on their collaborative efforts to rehabilitate the essential water resource.</p>


Focus On: Restoring Africa’s Lake Chad Basin

<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8lVG3dTNvKI" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Africa continues to face significant headwinds including rising living costs, weakening economic growth, tightening of global financial conditions, increasing effects of climate change, lingering impacts of health pandemics, and geopolitical tensions. This panel discussion reflects on Africa&#8217;s Macroeconomic Performance and Outlook Report for 2024.</p>


AfDB: Africa’s 2024 Macroeconomic Performance & Outlook Report

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<p>Earlier this month Tanzania attained lower-middle income status from low income, five years early. Since then, the African Development Bank Group has predicted the country will be registering the highest economic growth in the region for 2020, while some countries are projected to decline into recession due to the crisis. CNBC Africa spoke to Ivan Tarimo, Partner at Bankable Tanzania on the main attributions to Tanzania’s promising outlook.</p>


Here’s what’s behind Tanzania’s positive growth outlook amidst COVID-19

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<p>The African Development Bank Group has announced the creation of the COVID-19 Response Facility to assist regional member countries fight the pandemic. The facility provides up to $10 billion to governments and the private sector. Khaled Sherif, Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery at the African Development Bank joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


AfDB announces $10bn war chest to fight COVID-19

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The Interim Director of One Africa, Edwin Ikhuoria, says to silence the guns of conflict in Africa, the continent’s leaders must first deal with the root cause which is unemployment. Ikhuoria argues that if youths are employed, they will not be available to be radicalised. He discussed this and more with CNBC Africa’s Godfrey Mutizwa on the side-lines of the concluded 33rd African Union Summit.</p>


AU Summit 2020: “This is the year of dealing with root causes of conflicts in Africa” – One Africa’s Edwin Ikhuoria

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The Commissioner for Trade and Industry at the African Union, Albert Muchanga, says the union is ready for the commencement of trade under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement on the first of July this year. While speaking to CNBC Africa’s Godfrey Mutizwa, Muchanga added that the union is almost done with its work on the rules of origin. They discussed this and more on the sidelines of the 33rd African Union Summit.</p>


AU Summit 2020: AFCFTA: How prepared is Africa for July 1st?

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The Community for Eastern and Southern African States (COMESA) sees the creation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area as further enhancement of its work and a bigger opportunity for business from the region rather than as a threat. CNBC Africa caught up with the COMESA Secretary General, Chileshe Kapwepwe on the side-lines of the AU summit.</p>


AU Summit 2020: Chileshe Kapwepwe brekas down COMESA’s 3 pillars of development

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Silencing the guns is a slogan at this year’s AU summit as part of this the continental body held discussions on the role of women in this initiative. CNBC Africa spoke to UNECA&#8217;s Executive Director, Vera Songwe for more.</p>


AU Summit 2020: UNECA on the role of women in promoting development & security in Africa

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The African Development Bank (AfDB) has warned that a failure to end conflicts on the continent will undermine plans to accelerate economic integration on the continent. AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina spoke to CNBC Africa on the side-lines of the on-going African Union Summit.</p>


AU Summit 2020: Africa’s youth are our greatest asset & we have to invest in them – Adesina

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The President of African Export-Import Bank, Benedict Oramah says there is political will and support towards initiatives and tasks set out by the bank across Africa. He spoke to CNBC Africa’s Godfrey Mutizwa on the sidelines of the 33rd African Union Summit to share his thought on political support on the continent.</p>


AU Summit 2020: Afreximbank President Oramah: Political will remains key to African free trade

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The 37th African Union Development Agency &#8211; NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) Session took place over the weekend and there, Rwandan President Paul Kagame was elected Chairperson of one of its new agencies that will drive the continent towards achieving Agenda 2063 . CNBC Africa spoke to Ibrahim Mayaki, CEO of NEPAD, for more.</p>


AU Summit 2020: 37th HSGOC Session – Kagame tasked with driving Agenda 2063

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Director of Macroeconomic Forecasting and Research at African Development Bank (AfDB), Hanan Morsy says Africa is the least efficient in spending on education despite the very strong commitment of African governments. CNBC Africa&#8217;s Godfrey Mutizwa caught up with her on the side-lines of the Africa Union Summit for more.</p>


AU Summit 2020: “By enhancing efficiency

AU Summit 2020: “By enhancing efficiency, Africa can reach universal primary education” – AfDB’s Hanan Morsy

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<p>As the 33rd African Union Summit is underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, CNBC Africa’s Godfrey Mutizwa spoke to Secretary General of the African Development Bank Group, Vincent Nmehielle for more.</p>


AU Summit 2020: AfDB’s Vincent Nmehielle on measures to drive inclusive economic growth in Africa

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The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group predicted Kenya&#8217;s 2020 GDP to grow at 6 per cent this year, boosted by favourable weather conditions and big-ticket investments around the Big 4 agenda on health, housing, manufacturing and agriculture. Also, Kenya’s private sector activity fell for the first time in nine months to January, largely due to weak consumer demand, pointing to poor cash flow in the country. Rodney Omukhulu, Assistant Investments Analyst at Cytonn joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Here’s how Big 4 agenda is expected to grow Kenya’s GDP by 6%


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="265" height="265" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/WhatsApp-Image-2019-11-30-at-07.51.13.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-351337" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/WhatsApp-Image-2019-11-30-at-07.51.13.jpeg 265w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/WhatsApp-Image-2019-11-30-at-07.51.13-150x150.jpeg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 265px) 100vw, 265px" /></figure></div>



<p>By Dr Hanan Morsy, Director, Macroeconomics Policy, Forecasting and Research Department, African Development Bank Group.<br> </p>



<p>Despite remarkable progress made on women’s participation in policymaking, Africa is still far from achieving the 50 percent gender parity target set by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).</p>



<p>Between
1995 and 2018, the proportion of women in African parliaments almost tripled
from 8% to 23% but remains insufficient. Out of 11,037 African parliamentarians
as of October 2018, only 2,591 were women and out of 1,348 ministers on the
continent only 302, or 22%, were women<a href="#_ftn1">[1]</a>. </p>



<p>The
challenges in achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment, will be the
focus of the Global Gender Summit to be held in Kigali, Rwanda from the 25-27
November. The Summit, hosted by the African Development Bank in partnership
with the Government of Rwanda, will spotlight innovative financing, fostering
an enabling environment and ensuring women’s participation and voices.</p>



<p>Mainstreaming
gender in policymaking in Africa is crucial for at least three main reasons.
First, women are the main driving labor force in most African countries, making
a vital contribution to the economy. Empirical studies, including the African
Development Bank’s own research<a href="#_ftn2">[2]</a>,
have found that if women had equal access to productive resources such as land,
modern inputs, technology, or financial services, then the gender productivity
gap in agriculture of 20%-35% would almost disappear. </p>



<p>This
suggests that African countries could significantly increase their production
by just closing the gender gap across economic sectors, particularly in agriculture.
Second, increasing women’s participation in policymaking has been found to lead
to higher GDP growth through increases in higher-skilled women in the labor
force and women’s employment in high-productivity sectors<a href="#_ftn3">[3]</a>. Africa
is therefore losing socio-economic opportunities by not doing enough to
encourage the voices of women. The continent cannot afford to wait any longer
to empower women. </p>



<p>Gender
empowerment in policymaking can also boost women’s role as business leaders. Although
Africa boasts the world’s highest rate of women entrepreneurs (at 27%) and is the
only continent where more women than men choose to become entrepreneurs, most
female-led enterprises are small businesses, in the informal sector with little
growth prospects. </p>



<p>Access
to finance is a key constraint and the Bank’s research found that women
entrepreneurs in Africa are more likely to self-select out of the credit market
due to perceived low creditworthiness compared to men<a href="#_ftn4">[4]</a>. </p>



<p>By
influencing policymaking in their countries, women can help lift barriers to their
participation in labor markets which at 61% remains lower than men at 67%. </p>



<p>And
to ensure that no voice remains unheard, much work needs to be done. Improving
women’s access to education is key. Better educated women are more likely to
influence policy. Despite commendable efforts, the gender gap in educational
attainment persists in most African countries, creating barriers to women’s
advancement.</p>



<p>For
instance, the average number of schooling years between 2010-2017 was 4.33 for
females but 5.6 for males in Africa. In many countries, the educational
disadvantage of women starts at primary school and by the time girls become
adolescents the educational gap has significantly widened.</p>



<p>One
solution to explore is to ensure universal access to education to all girls and
promote education parity at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Several findings
indicate that countries with greater education parity have realized higher
economic growth<a href="#_ftn5">[5]</a>.
In addition to bringing girls into school, having them complete their grades is
also important, as the drop-out rate of girls in primary education is still very
high in Africa, with a third of girls dropping out between 2010-2017. </p>



<p>Second,
government efforts to support the development of women’s political competency is
particularly important in raising their participation in policymaking. Mentoring
and training programs can equip women candidates with the necessary skills to successfully
run for political office. For elected women, leadership trainings would
strengthen their influence in policymaking and advocacy. </p>



<p>Third,
scaling up of programs and initiatives or implementation of laws aimed at fostering
an enabling political environment for women will ensure that women’s voices are
heard. Although many African countries have made legal provisions guaranteeing
equal rights of men and women in policymaking and have even established gender
parity in their electoral systems, only a handful have implemented these laws.</p>



<p>Only
Rwanda, Ethiopia and Seychelles have achieved or are close to achieving gender
parity in their ministerial cabinets. Rwanda is the only country in Africa where
women outnumber men in the parliament (61.3% as of January 1, 2019). Other
countries such as Namibia (46.2%), South Africa (42.7%), or Senegal (41.8%) have
set examples for other nations to follow in mainstreaming gender in policymaking.
</p>



<p>In
its own operations, the African Development Bank in 2018 launched a Gender
Marker System to track gender mainstreaming in its work. It has also developed
an Africa Gender Index in partnership with the United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa to measure gender parity across economic, social, and political
representation dimensions. </p>



<p>With
its Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative, the Bank
will extend women’s access to finance through commercial banks and financial
intermediaries, provide technical assistance to women, and engage policy and
regulatory bodies to create an enabling environment for women.</p>



<p>With initiatives such as AFAWA, and the Global Gender Summit in Kigali, the African Development Bank is advancing the course of women and ensuring that no voice is unheard.</p>


African Development Bank Group

Focus On: Addressing Malnutrition in Africa

Focus On: Restoring Africa’s Lake Chad Basin

AfDB: Africa’s 2024 Macroeconomic Performance & Outlook Report

Here’s what’s behind Tanzania’s positive growth outlook amidst COVID-19

AfDB announces $10bn war chest to fight COVID-19

AU Summit 2020: “This is the year of dealing with root causes of conflicts in Africa” – One Africa’s Edwin Ikhuoria

AU Summit 2020: AFCFTA: How prepared is Africa for July 1st?

AU Summit 2020: Chileshe Kapwepwe brekas down COMESA’s 3 pillars of development

AU Summit 2020: UNECA on the role of women in promoting development & security in Africa

AU Summit 2020: Africa’s youth are our greatest asset & we have to invest in them – Adesina

AU Summit 2020: Afreximbank President Oramah: Political will remains key to African free trade

AU Summit 2020: 37th HSGOC Session – Kagame tasked with driving Agenda 2063

AU Summit 2020: “By enhancing efficiency, Africa can reach universal primary education” – AfDB’s Hanan Morsy

AU Summit 2020: AfDB’s Vincent Nmehielle on measures to drive inclusive economic growth in Africa

Here’s how Big 4 agenda is expected to grow Kenya’s GDP by 6%

Op-Ed: Mainstreaming gender in African policy making: Ensuring no voice is unheard

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African Development Bank Group

Focus On: Addressing Malnutrition in Africa

Focus On: Restoring Africa’s Lake Chad Basin

AfDB: Africa’s 2024 Macroeconomic Performance & Outlook Report

Here’s what’s behind Tanzania’s positive growth outlook amidst COVID-19

AfDB announces $10bn war chest to fight COVID-19

AU Summit 2020: “This is the year of dealing with root causes of conflicts in Africa” – One Africa’s Edwin Ikhuoria

AU Summit 2020: AFCFTA: How prepared is Africa for July 1st?

AU Summit 2020: Chileshe Kapwepwe brekas down COMESA’s 3 pillars of development

AU Summit 2020: UNECA on the role of women in promoting development & security in Africa

AU Summit 2020: Africa’s youth are our greatest asset & we have to invest in them – Adesina

AU Summit 2020: Afreximbank President Oramah: Political will remains key to African free trade

AU Summit 2020: 37th HSGOC Session – Kagame tasked with driving Agenda 2063

AU Summit 2020: “By enhancing efficiency, Africa can reach universal primary education” – AfDB’s Hanan Morsy

AU Summit 2020: AfDB’s Vincent Nmehielle on measures to drive inclusive economic growth in Africa

Here’s how Big 4 agenda is expected to grow Kenya’s GDP by 6%

Op-Ed: Mainstreaming gender in African policy making: Ensuring no voice is unheard

News Tips

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