The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has launched a new digital platform to track progress across its programmes and projects.
This online tool Known as the Gender Marker System Dashboard mirrors the Bank’s Gender Marker System, which evaluates how well projects incorporate gender equality and women’s empowerment in their objectives and outcomes.
The Gender Marker System Dashboard integrates with the Bank’s SAP corporate project management system, which allows staff to monitor the implementation of Gender Action Plans.
These plans outline specific actions, budgets, and responsibilities for ensuring gender equality during project implementation. Monthly updates ensure that staff have access to the latest information on gender impacts and can use this data to refine strategies and improve outcomes.
The Gender Marker System classifies the Bank’s sovereign and non-sovereign operations into four categories:
– GEN I: Projects where gender equality and/or women’s empowerment is the principal objective.
– GEN II: Projects where gender equality is an important outcome, though not the primary one.
– GEN III: Projects with outputs related to gender equality and/or women’s empowerment.
– GEN IV: Projects that have some gender-inclusive activities, but only as marginal elements.
This new Dashboard organizes gender-related data by sector, region, country, and financing sources, making it a valuable tool for the Bank’s staff and consultants in developing country strategies, annual reports, and project reviews.
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The new tool also provides easy access to up-to-date data, and points out areas where additional resources are needed to meet gender goals.
“The Gender Marker System Dashboard is the latest innovation in how the Bank is investing in Africa’s women to drive inclusive growth, in line with the Ten-Year Strategy 2024-2033.
The goal is to accelerate our actions to empower women and close gender disparities, as well as hold ourselves accountable to our commitment to mainstream gender in the work that we do,” said Dr. Martha Phiri, Acting Director for Gender, Women, and Civil Society at the Bank.
The African Development Bank aims to ensure that at least 80% of its public-sector projects and 50% of private-sector operations directly benefit women and girls. Gender equality is a priority in the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy 2024-2033, as it seeks to build more inclusive societies and drive Africa’s transformation.
