Achieving a favorable social economic status for the African Women is complex.

Women are a cornerstone of African economic development. According to recent estimates, they provide approximately 70% of agricultural labour and produce about 90% of all food.

Women’s economic activity rate, which measures the percentage of people who furnish the supply of labour for the production of economic goods, ranks highest compared to other regions of the world (including the OECD countries) with a value of 61.9%. However, women are predominantly employed in the informal sector and occupy low-skill jobs. This can be illustrated by considering the percentage of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector, which scores lowest among all regions of the world with a value of only 8.5%.

The weak status of women in the formal economy of Africa has many reasons. Insufficient access to key resources such as education and health are two important contributing factors. It should be noticed that primary education of females is still at a strikingly low rate of 67 % despite international endeavors including Millennium Development Goals and to achieve universal primary education by the year 2015 (men 72.6%). Unsurprisingly, illiteracy remains a major challenge with only 51% of all women above the age of 15 being able to read and write (compared to 67.1 % men). Improvements in maternal mortality also fall short of international objectives. The African value of 866 deaths per 100.000 live births is partly due to dismal medical services which only guarantee 50.9% of all births being attended by skilled health personnel is alarming and far worse than in any other region of the world. 

Polygamy is pervasive in many African countries and property rights over land are not granted equally to men and women. Although women may have the right to obtain a bank loan on paper, customs still prevents them to have equal access to credit in many rural areas in Africa. Other traditions such as female genital mutilation, which in some countries are reported to affect more than 95% of all women (e.g. In Guinea, Mali, Egypt, Somalia and Eritrea) are not only a violation against women’s basic human rights but also a heavy burden for their health status and consequent chances in the labour market, HIV- Aids among others. Highlighting the important impact of social norms and traditions may help to design better policies that can improve the
Socio- economic status of women in the long run.

Despite the challenges, a few achievements like the International and Regional Instruments on women’s Human Rights. As part of ensuring that women’s human rights are upheld, most countries in Africa have ratified and signed the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) although many are to sign the Optional Protocol, that would legally hold government accountable to implement actions that protect women against discrimination.

Most member States of the African Union are also signatory to the African Charter on People and Human Rights (ACPHR) and has also signed (but not yet ratified) the Protocol to the African Charter on People and Human Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. The same goes for the Signing and ratification of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)

It should also be noted that there is lack of comprehensive reforms that fully implement women’s rights. For instance signing the Convention on All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) without signing CEDAW’s Optional Protocol means there is no strong obligation on the side of governments to be committed to CEDAW. Similarly, recognizing women’s access to land while denying them ownership is another half-hearted attempt at gender oriented law reforms. Likewise, signing the AU Women’s Protocol without ratification and implementation is also half hearted, as African women cannot enjoy the rights contained therein.

National Constitutions of some African countries have implemented these commitments mainly through a gender responsive national Constitution, which provides the legal framework for addressing gender inequalities in poverty eradication, equal rights between men and women and rights, equal citizenship rights among others. Most progressively are Uganda, South Africa, etc.

However the process of reforming laws to harmonize them with the gender sensitive Constitution is rather slow, due to limited resources, government bureaucracy, and the entrenched patriarchal resistance against gender responsive Bills.>

The African woman has the resilience as quoted by one strong woman activist thus;

“I don't think America’s the center of the world anymore. I think African Women will lead the way [in]… women's liberation… The African woman, she’s got a country, she's got the flag, she's got her own navy, and she’s got the nay. She doesn't have a racism problem. She’s not afraid that if she speaks up her man will say goodbye to her…  “

Faith Ringgold

Despite the challenges faced by African Women, there are opportunities that women have come across in order to fight for their socio economic status; research on contemporary issues has influenced policy engagement and strengthened the function of African Women at regional and international levels, through policy briefs and advocacy, among others.

Financial sustainability has diversified sources of funds and has engaged in contemporary financial resource mobilization methodologies such as real estate, stock markets, treasury bonds, fixed deposits; Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), etc. Africa Feminist Forum is a great movement building space that has a potential to ensure that African Women's Voices are part of decision-making.

The structure of the Africa Union provides a great potential to ensure that women’s rights are upheld in Africa. African Women have historically sustained communities as well as economies. Women have the capacity to directly cause sustainable change and development in Africa. Therefore, there is need to mobilize and re-awaken African women for a common purpose, by “ Strengthening the feminist movement in Africa”.

Engaging in African and International Processes as a Pan African women’s movement, in relation to the key thematic areas of interest has helped ensure that the needs and interests of African women are highlighted and included in key international instruments.. Some of these include: The United Nations Restructuring Process; Union Government in Africa; Fast Tracking of the East African Federation; Millennium Development Goals (Esp. Goal number 3) Implementation of UN Resolution 1325 in Africa, among others.

The review of the Paris Declaration / New Aid Modalities especially on the role of feminist organizations in its implementation as well as the challenges within the New Aid Modalities framework to gender equality work took take place in Ghana (September 2008); This too was an opportunity for African women to show case their capacities and call for specific government and donor interventions.

In conclusion, Solome left the participants with the following quotations to reflect on;

"The day will come when men will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race."

—Susan B. Anthony

"There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers."

—Susan B. Anthony