Washington — Amid growing calls to invest in human capital and expand job opportunities for Africa's burgeoning youth population, a new report underscores the challenges faced by a critical demographic: Africa's adolescent girls. In sub-Saharan Africa, over half of African girls ages 15 to 19 are either out of school, married, or have children. Pathways to Prosperity for Adolescent Girls in Africa, a joint report of the World Bank, the Center for Global Development and the Population Council, brings urgently-needed focus to the girls left behind and presents targeted policy solutions to address the diverse experiences of adolescent girls across the region.
Whether forced to leave school because of family circumstances, economic need, or conflict, more girls than boys fall outside the realm of secondary and tertiary education and find themselves working low-skilled jobs or caring for a spouse or children before the age of 19. In turn, this results in lost human capital and lower economic growth.
The report highlights vast disparities across countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some countries succeed in delaying marriage and childbearing and maintain high levels of girls' education, while in others -- often affected by fragility and conflict, girls face very low rates of schooling and high rates of early marriage. These patterns strongly correlate with countries' legal frameworks, particularly laws around education, employment and marriage.
"The novelty of this report is to go beyond sound but general advice to simply keep girls in school. It looks at the different realities faced by millions of adolescent girls today and proposes pathways to support the needs of groups that tend to be overlooked such as married adolescents, young mothers, and informal young workers," said Estelle Koussoubé, Senior Economist, World Bank, and co-editor of the report.
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to about 145 million adolescent girls today and will host up to a third of the world's adolescent girls by 2050. The report estimates that every dollar invested in adolescent girls' empowerment in Africa between now and 2040 - for example by improving adolescent girls' access to health and education or promoting their economic success - could generate more than a tenfold return in economic impact, with potential gains of $2.4 trillion.
The World Bank Group's new gender strategy, launched earlier this year, focuses on ending gender-based violence and elevating human capital, expanding and enabling economic opportunities, and engaging women as leaders to accelerate gender equality globally. Pathways to Prosperity for Adolescent Girls in Africa supports this strategy by providing concrete recommendations for policymakers including reducing out-of-pocket education costs through proven approaches like school feeding and cash transfers; integrating market-aligned vocational training with life skills development; and expanding youth-friendly health services The reports emphasizes the need for tailored interventions for vulnerable groups like young mothers who need childcare support and sustainable income-generating opportunities.
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"Our analysis reveals the tremendous economic opportunity at stake. When we invest in adolescent girls' health, education, and economic opportunities, we are shaping not only their futures but also the trajectory of entire communities and economies," said Kehinde Ajayi, Senior Fellow & Director of Gender Equality and Inclusion Program at the Center for Global Development and co-editor of the report.
One area of critical importance to the lives of adolescent girls in Africa is the high incidence of gender-based violence, including in school settings. Further work is urgently needed to strengthen our understanding of effective interventions to reduce violence and make schools and other aspects of daily life safer for girls. To encourage further research and action, data from this study is available through an Adolescent Atlas for Action, hosted on a dedicated Population Council web portal.
"This report lays out a data and evidence-driven approach to understanding the diversity of adolescent girls' needs and pathways to economic empowerment. The work ahead will be very challenging, but we are now equipped to take on those challenges with a multi-dimensional framework that can effectively guide programs and policies that support and uplift girls worldwide," noted Karen Austrian, Director, GIRL Center, Population Council and co-author of the report.
