Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals in central Africa, The Gender Snapshot

The 2024 Gender Snapshot for Central Africa summarizes progress and challenges in achieving gender equality across 10 countries, focusing on SDGs. Persistent issues include conflict, climate change, economic instability, and limited data, all of which impact women and girls. Despite strong commitments, structural barriers and weak data systems hinder inclusive development. The report presents gender-disaggregated indicators with an intersectional approach, but data gaps remain—only about 35% of Africa’s SDG gender indicators are monitored, compared to 42% globally. Data on women and girls with disabilities is especially lacking. Maternal mortality remains high, with West & Central Africa accounting for 62.7% of maternal deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2020. While Africa's maternal mortality ratio has decreased since 2000, it is still far above the SDG goal.

Effective transformation of data into actionable change requires robust mechanisms, including institutional capacity, sound data governance, and adequate financing for gender statistics. Establishing resilient systems that consistently demand, produce, and utilize gender data within policy frameworks and accountability processes is critical for advancing substantial progress in Central Africa. This type of analysis enables governments and stakeholders to monitor gender-related developments, identify key priorities, and align efforts with the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Central Africa.