Action on gender equaliy , empowerment and ending violence against womenin Africa : a concept note

Abstract

Africa’s economic performance since 1999 has been quite impressive, especially when compared with the negative gross domestic product (GDP) growth trends of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The region’s average annual GDP growth rate rose from just under 3.0 per cent in 1999 to approximately 5.8 per cent in 2007. However, these improvements in economic performance have not yet had a demonstrably meaningful impact on poverty reduction and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The proportion of the population living below the poverty line, which in 2004 was estimated at 41.1 per cent remains high. Studies have shown that women are the most affected, leading to the feminization of poverty.