The Project Management Institute, Sub-Saharan Africa has lamented the negative impact of the gender disparity on the economies of the sub-region, saying that economies that restrict women’s contributions often fall short of their potential.
The Managing Director of the institute, George Asamani, stated this recently while speaking on why companies and government agencies should give women the same recognition as men in project management.
He said, “There is a saying in Nigeria, ‘The one who carries the firewood feels the weight the most.’ The proverb is reflective of the gender disparity in the country and continues to dim women’s prospects and deny them the opportunity to participate fully in the economy.
“According to the World Bank’s Women, Business, and Law 2023 report, which surveys some 190 economies, only 14 are gender equal. The remaining countries still have room to improve and, at the pace of current reforms, will need some 50 years to catch up.
“Simply put, a 20-year-old entering the workforce today will retire before she can enjoy gender-equal rights. This means that their talents, ideas, and abilities will remain underutilised. The report shows economies in Sub-Saharan Africa led the way in 2022, enacting more than half of the reforms recorded.”
He noted that many of those laws affected women’s pay and careers after having children—the areas with the most room to improve, saying yet, this progress barely scratched the surface of what’s truly required.
According to the International Labour Organisation, the global labour force participation rate for women is just under 47 per cent, compared with 72 per cent for men. This gender gap in employment is even starker in project management, where male project managers outnumber female project managers by 3:1, according to recent research from the Project Management Institute.
According to the United Nations, women earn about 20 per cent less than men for work of equal value.
It stated that the pay gap in most countries was below the global average for female project managers, but it was significant nonetheless.
Female project managers earn less than male counterparts in every country surveyed, according to PMI’s recent salary survey.
Asamanii added, “Interestingly, women’s lives in Africa are often complex projects, requiring them to manage and balance multiple responsibilities, roles, and expectations. The essence of project management, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing projects is remarkably analogous to the daily tasks that women perform.
“Therefore, there is merit in formalising these innate capabilities into project management skills to enhance their efficiency, effectiveness, and resilience. Skills such as risk management, stakeholder communication, and resource allocation are directly translatable to managing finances, negotiating workplace dynamics, and advocating for social change.
“In a sector marked by a talent shortage, the statistics point to the underutilisation of skills women bring to the Project Economy and the loss of diversity in a male-dominated environment. Project management skills equip women with a versatile toolkit highly valued across industries.” According to the PMI boss, this versatility opens doors to better employment opportunities, fostering economic independence and security, adding that these skills are crucial for entrepreneurship — a path many women pursue in Africa.
He then advised that governments and organisations must prioritise the development of those competencies to not only achieve gender equality but to harness 100 per cent of the potential of 50 per cent of the world’s population.
