Harnessing gender for inclusive trade: How more gender-sensitive trade policies and outcomes can drive economic transformation i

South Africa - 30 October 2017

“Africa is so wealthy when it comes to land and natural resources, but it is also so underdeveloped, poor and needy. If women enjoyed the same access to resources as men, the continent would be able to produce 20-30% more than it currently does. This would significantly improve prospects for household income, poverty reduction, investment and trade.”
This was one of the central messages in the keynote address delivered by trade expert and gender activist, Janah Ncube, at a workshop titled ‘harnessing gender for inclusive trade’ in Johannesburg on 9 December 2016. The workshop, hosted by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and the University of Adelaide’s Institute for International Trade (IIT), provided an excellent platform for trade and gender experts from across Africa and representatives of international organisations, including the World Bank, to exchange views on the complex medley of factors that has created deep socio-economic divisions between men and women on the continent.

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