To mark International Women's Day 2026, the African Development Bank Group hosted a high-level dialogue titled "Justice for Her: Rights, Justice and Women's Economic Empowerment in Africa."
The session held at the Bank's headquarters, explored how access to justice, legal protection and institutional safeguards shape women's ability to participate fully in economic life across Africa.
It brought together policymakers, justice professionals, development practitioners, traditional authorities, entrepreneurs and students to kick off the Bank's observation of the international day and its month-long "Gender in Focus" series looking at how Bank projects impact African women, girls and communities.
The event was also streamed across Bank digital platforms supporting the Bank Group's broader efforts to advance inclusive growth, including through its strategic priorities on youth, gender equality, governance and human capital development.
Featured speaker, Nassénéba Touré, Minister of Women, Family and Children of Côte d'Ivoire said that advancing women's rights is Africa's social priority and a fundamental economic issue.
"Africa's development cannot accelerate sustainably if half of its potential remains underutilized. And that potential is African women," Touré added.
Senior Vice-President Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade and Dr. Jemimah Njuki, the Bank's Director for Gender, Women and Civil Society, also addressed attendees.
The event detailed how legal systems, institutional safeguards and community leadership structures shape women's ability to participate fully in economic life.
Here are takeaways:
1 Women's economic empowerment begins with access to rights and justice
Speakers said that women's economic empowerment is closely linked to access to rights, legal protection and functioning justice systems. Across Africa, women continue to face structural barriers in accessing land, financial services and legal protection.
"Promoting women's rights is not a sectoral issue, it's fundamental to national development, economic competitiveness, and Africa's long-term stability," Akin-Olubade said. "When women cannot access land, finance, or legal protection, economies as a whole pay the price through lost productivity and slower growth," she added.
2 Legal reforms can expand women's economic opportunities
Legal and policy reforms are critical tools for expanding women's economic participation. Côte d'Ivoire, for example, has undertaken important reforms to reinforce women's rights, including measures addressing gender-based violence, reforms to family and inheritance law, and legislation promoting women's political representation.
Director Njuki said structural barriers continue to limit women's economic opportunities across the continent.
"Across Africa, women-owned and women-led enterprises face an estimated $1.4 trillion financing gap, driven not only by market constraints but also by inequalities in asset ownership and access to collateral," Njuki added.
3 Women entrepreneurs still face major structural barriers
Panelists, including representatives from civil society and women's cooperatives, shared firsthand experiences of barriers facing women entrepreneurs.
Access to land, credit and formal financial systems remains particularly difficult for women entrepreneurs.
Anasthasie Kouadio, President of the Union Vivrière Etraikpa de Toumodi, a women-led agricultural cooperative, said many woman farmers and rural women entrepreneurs often struggle to get loans and other financing from commercial banks.
The African Development Bank's Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa, or AFAWA, is helping Kouadio's cooperative and tens of thousands of other women to access to finance and entrepreneurial support. Learn more here.
4 Bridging the gap between law and practice remains a key challenge
While many African countries have adopted legal frameworks promoting gender equality, implementation gaps remain significant.
Judge Fatou Diakité, President of the Association of Magistrates of Côte d'Ivoire, said legal rights do not always reflect what happens in practice. She pointed to Côte d'Ivoire as an example, telling event panelists that women hold only about 12 percent of registered land certificates--showing how access to land under the law does not always mean women actually own it.She said that there needs to be improved access for women to justice, and this goal requires greater awareness of rights and easier access to legal institutions meant to serve the people, particularly women in rural areas.
Traditional leader Danho Akradji also talked about the important role community leaders can play in supporting women's rights and economic inclusion.
5 Development institutions can help close the gap between policy commitments and real opportunities for women
During the discussion, Dilys Asuagbor, Head of the Bank's Ethics Office, said that the African Development Bank benefits from a relatively strong internal justice system that combines informal avenues for resolving issues with formal investigative and disciplinary processes.
Closing the session, Dr. Ramzi Ali, Bank Director of Staff Welfare Services, Compensation and Employment Policy, said all development institutions have a wider responsibility to support gender-responsive access to justice.
See more images from the Bank's "Justice for Her" session here.
