WEF: Overall gender gap narrows for first time in 3 years, here’s how African countries fared

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released its latest Global Gender Gap report, revealing that the overall gender gap has narrowed for the first time in three years. Roberto Crotti, Lead for the Centre for the New Economy and Society at WEF, joined CNBC Africa from Geneva to discuss the key findings of the report. Crotti highlighted that 68% of the gender gap has been closed so far, with a significant increase in women's representation in political roles globally. However, there is stagnation in economic participation, particularly concerning wages and the workforce. The report evaluates four key dimensions - health, education, economic participation, and empowerment - through 14 indicators to compare the share of women and men in each area. Regions showing the most progress include Southern Africa and Latin America, with advancements in education and increased women's representation in ministries and political roles. Sub-Saharan Africa, composed of East, West, and South Africa, has also made strides in gender equality. Rwanda emerges as the best-performing country in the region, with Southern Africa leading in overall performance. East Africa follows closely behind, with several countries showing relative progress. However, West Africa lags behind, with five economies at the bottom of the ranking. Challenges in addressing the economic opportunity gap include incentivizing women to participate more in the workforce and adapting to the impact of technology, which could potentially displace women in various job sectors. Crotti emphasized the importance of promoting women in leadership roles, both in politics and business, to accelerate gender equality. The report suggests that at the current trajectory, it would take approximately 99.5 years to close the gender gap, an improvement from the previous estimate of 108 years. To expedite progress, Western Africa can learn from Eastern Africa by focusing on promoting women in leadership positions and closing income disparities among genders.