Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE)
The GEWE Strategy is a framework document to strengthen women’s agency in Africa and ensure that women’s voices are amplified and their concerns are fully addressed through, among others, effective implementation of legislation and proper financing of gender equality work. The African Union strategy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) 2018-2028, launched during the AU Summit in February 2019, is based on an inclusive and multisectoral approach and builds on the lessons learned from the 2009 gender policy. It is transformational in that its outcomes aim to mitigate, if not eliminate, the significant constraints hindering gender equality and women’s empowerment so that women and girls may participate fully in economic activities, political affairs, and social endeavors.
The AU recognizes that gender equality is a fundamental human right and an integral part of regional integration, economic growth, and social development and has developed the AU’s strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) to ensure the inclusion of women in Africa’s development agenda. The African Union strategy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) 2018-2028, launched during the AU Summit in February 2019, is based on an inclusive and multispectral approach and builds on the lessons learned from the 2009 gender policy.

It is transformational in that its outcomes aim to mitigate, if not eliminate, the significant constraints hindering gender equality and women’s empowerment so that women and girls may participate fully in economic activities, political affairs, and social endeavors.
The GEWE Strategy is a framework document to strengthen women’s agency in Africa and ensure that women’s voices are amplified and their concerns are fully addressed through, among others, effective implementation of legislation and proper financing of gender equality work. It is a guiding document on the performance of the AU’s GEWE commitments. It will be used to design transformational programs that bring results for African women and girls on the continent and in the diaspora.


