Background

---

Some of the obstacles to gender-responsiveness in the economic reforms process in Nigeria include the male dominated policy-making system, the limited capacity of women’s organizations in economic analysis, the engendered content of conventional models of macroeconomics and the general complexities of policy-making processes and institutions. Until recently, macroeconomics reforms in Africa, including Nigeria have refused to take on board gendered concerns about alternative development visions and priorities, despite the adverse impact of trade liberation and export-based investment regimes on women and families.

In Nigeria for example, there have been concerns about loss of jobs, high cost of domestic fuels, environmental degradation, increasing time burdens on women, food scarcity, due to emphasis on export crops, abuse of worker’s rights (especially women’s human rights) in Exporting Processing Zones (EPZs).

Within the context of NEEDS, trade policy reforms are increasingly driving programmes more and more towards the institutionalization of multilateral agreements. Some of these multilateral agreements include the WTO round of talks, Lome Convention, the US Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development). The reinforcement of different agreements tantamount to expansion of other forms of exclusion (especially for women) and these are systematically being institutionalized. Nothing is more indicative of this than the growing role of international financial institutions in the management and coordination of many economic and development based programmes in Africa-programmes such as the PRSP and MDGs.

Africa Civil Society Organizations have responded to corporate globalization and economic injustice in a variety of ways. They have expressed opposition to the continuing destructive role of bodies like World Trade Organisation in the lives of working people and the poor (particularly women) and campaigned for their countries to develop on the basis of more equitable trade and economic rules. They are building capacity to analyse and influence macro-economic policy from a gender perspective. They are proffering alternatives to the dominant neo-liberal economic agenda that are socially and gender responsive.

On the basis of these GADA with the support of Open Society Initiative of West Africa (OSIWA) is dedicating this link to the promotion of Gender and Economic Justice.

Contact Details