World Bank launches initiatives to spur gender programs in Africa

Gains in the steady economic growth in many African countries over the last few years have not always translated into greater gender equality or poverty reduction, the World Bank has announced.  

To mark International Women’s Day, the World Bank’s Africa region launched two evidence based initiatives to step up its commitment to improve gender programs in Africa. 

First is the Africa Gender Action Plan, a five year blueprint for the Bank’s gender informed activities.   Next is the Gender Innovation Lab that will bring scientific solutions through rigorous impact evaluation that will transform how the World Bank will identify development solutions for some of its poorest clients. 

Combined, the World Bank Africa Gender Action Plan and Gender Innovation Lab will link scientific evidence to guide gender-related lending operations in Africa.

“In the past decade, African countries have made some considerable strides when it comes to gender equality”, says Makhar Diop, World Bank Vice President for Africa. “Today, we have moved from an intuitive understanding of gender programs to add the Gender Innovation Lab that will fill the knowledge gap by providing more qualitative and quantitative evidence than ever about what works and what doesnt in terms of gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa”.

The new Gender Innovation Lab will provide development solutions to countries as it works to keep the momentum toward achieving gender equality in Africa.

The World Bank’s Africa Gender Action Plan, the institutions regional strategy for addressing gender inequality, will advance development for both men and women using the latest technological tools that provide evidence on the effectiveness of gender programs through its funding and operations.

The Gender Innovation Lab, the first at the World Bank, brings science to improve delivery of its programs. The Lab already has over 20 impact evaluations under way, and they are providing clear evidence of what works. 

The Lab has received USD$18 million financial support from the UKs Department for International Development (DFID).