Empowering Women, Integrated Approaches, and Boosting the Missing Middle: Reflections from Southern Africa

Imagine a Southern Africa where women and girls thrive without barriers, empowered across education, healthcare, and business. The road to women’s empowerment needs inclusive workplaces, support for the ‘missing middle,’ and strategic partnerships. In a world facing conflicts, and emerging political and financial insecurities, it’s important to share knowledge to enhance collaboration, prevent bottlenecks, and create innovative and sustainable interventions.

In my search for innovative programs that support women’s empowerment, my team led the Southern Africa Gender Week, where practitioners and government officials highlighted programs across Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Mozambique. As they shared practical lessons and information, I noted three insights and share them here.

1.    Multisectoral collaboration fuels sustainability

Women’s empowerment is multifaceted, requiring innovative, sustainable solutions. Complex issues like low school enrollment, adolescent fertility, and gender-based violence (GBV) demand coordinated approaches. I was taken aback when Yevgeniya Savchenko from the DRC Girls Learning and Empowerment (PAAF) and Education System Strengthening Project (EESSEE) highlighted that in 2019, girls' enrollment in lower secondary schools in Kasai was only 3%. This alarming statistic led to the creation of a scholarship program for girls in Kasai, supported by my World Bank colleagues who work on education, social protection, and GBV[KB1] . The EESSEE paved the way for PAAF to establish grievance platforms for students and parents, expanding from just primary school to now secondary education.

In Angola, the Ministry of Education (MED) partnered with the Ministry of Health to deliver sexual and reproductive health content (validated for accuracy by the ministries). Natasha De Andrade Falcao noted that MED and the Ministry of Higher Education will soon sign an MoU to improve pre-service teacher training. Such collaborations are essential for sustainable progress across ministries.

Allies play a vital role in addressing GBV. In Eastern and Southern Africa, 42% of women face physical or sexual violence, impacting not only survivors but the well-being and productivity of families and communities across generations. Godfrey Okumu, Technical Program Advisor at Tostan International, urged that well-being is collective and to amplify marginalized voices and confront violence we must use our privilege.  

Practical tips:

• Strengthen ministry accountability on GBV by involving religious and traditional institutions, community leaders, and NGOs.
• Engage men and boys as frontline fighters against GBV.

2.    ‘Diversity’ is not only a fair imperative but a business imperative

Promoting female and male role models in healthcare is essential for achieving empowerment. The World Bank’s single largest investment in human resources for health—the Human Resources for Universal Health Coverage in Angola Project, addresses gender discrimination practices in the healthcare workforce. What I found particularly transformative is that the project partners with the Bureaucracy Lab to research healthcare and governance bottlenecks in higher-paying healthcare jobs. Project lead, Joao Pires shared that male champions will be selected in 164 municipalities to promote gender equality in secondary hospitals, train post-graduate healthcare students, and ensure 50% female enrollment in post-graduate programs.

Practical tips:

• Use results-based financing for school retention and gender equity training in healthcare.

3.    Boost the ‘missing middle’ female entrepreneurs

“Missing middle” female entrepreneurs are those whose businesses are too large for microfinance but too small for traditional bank loans, leaving them underserved. Supporting these entrepreneurs to grow from small to mid-sized businesses boosts their credibility, opens access to larger contracts, and enhances funding and growth opportunities.

In Mozambique, women are more likely than men to be in small-scale activities and less likely to have upward mobility. The Mozambique Access to Finance and Economic Opportunities Project helps female entrepreneurs with growth potential to develop skills, and gain access  to markets and capital. The project also targets small-scale female cross-border traders between Mozambique and Malawi by offering financial literacy training and childcare services.

Experimental research at the DRC-Rwanda border shows that enhancing women’s financial knowledge increases their upward mobility from small to middle-scale entrepreneurship. The research also illustrates that training border officials on sexual harassment risks empowers female traders too.

We also explored the entry of women into male-dominated fields, emphasizing the need for innovative strategies and thorough impact evaluation to better support women already working in these sectors.

Practical tips:

• Build systems allowing women to list movable and non-movable assets as collateral.
• Collect data on employment for advocacy and to incentivize strong management information systems.
• Support workplace policies that broaden access to childcare.

My closing thought, through inclusive policies and committed partnerships, we can shape resilient, equitable societies where empowered women drive community and largescale growth. Let’s set a global example: uplifting women uplifts entire communities, building a legacy of inclusivity and prosperity for generations.

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