WOMEN IN ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION FORUM

The FES Economic Policy Competence Centre (EPCC) held the maiden Women in Economic Transformation Forum on 22nd and 23rd October 2021, at Golden Tulip Hotel, Kumasi. The forum was on the theme, The Future of Work – Gender and Informality in Sub-Sahara Africa and served as a medium to connect women economists, academia, NGOs, CSOs and government agencies. The forum's main aim is to give women the platform to design solutions for inclusive and sustainable economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). 

Discussions at the forum sought to address matters relating to;

1. Gender inequality and poverty reduction
2. Job security for less-skilled women in SSA
3. The integration of technology in the world of work
4. The rise of the informality of work
5. Discrimination in the labour market
6. Curbing high rates of unemployment in SSA

Summary points of policy recommendations:

• Revisiting policies geared towards poverty reduction and gender equality. To make them more accessible to all devoid of gender.

• Localised policies to protect the interest of women at work and ensure equal treatment and job security.

• A policy that promotes green financial investment could encourage investors to adopt eco-friendly technology and green energy sources. 

• Integrating technology into the work system while upskilling and reskilling workers, especially women who stand a chance of losing work in the phase of automation. 

• Government Budgets should be tailored to train women in the informal sector to reskill their abilities to meet the future of work.

• Localised policies to deal with unpaid and care work through recognition, reduction of the load and rebalancing the load between men and women.