Over the past decades, considerable attention has been directed towards empowering girls, addressing gender inequalities and improving opportunities for young women across Africa. These efforts remain essential, particularly in societies where girls and women continue to experience structural disadvantages.
However, an important question deserves greater attention: Where does the boy child fit within Africa's evolving gender equality agenda?
Boys and young men face challenges associated with educational disengagement, unemployment, harmful expectations of masculinity, emotional suppression, substance use, violence and limited willingness to seek psychological support. In some communities, boys are socialised to demonstrate strength, independence and resilience while receiving little encouragement to express vulnerability or seek assistance.
These experiences raise important questions about how gender-responsive policies and programmes conceptualise the needs of both boys and girls.
Gender equality should not become a competition over whose challenges deserve greater attention. Supporting boys does not diminish the importance of empowering girls. Instead, understanding the experiences of boys and young men may contribute to healthier relationships, improved mental wellbeing and more equitable communities.
I would welcome perspectives from researchers, practitioners, policymakers, educators and young people across Africa on the following questions:
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Gender and inclusion: Are the needs of boys and young men adequately represented in adolescent health, education and gender equality programmes? Where are the most significant gaps?
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Masculinity and mental health: How do cultural expectations that boys must be strong, independent and emotionally resilient influence their willingness to seek psychological support?
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Education and social outcomes: What are we learning about boys' experiences of school disengagement, academic underachievement, violence and unemployment across different African contexts?
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Gender-responsive programming: What interventions have successfully supported boys and young men while simultaneously promoting gender equality, positive masculinity and respect for girls and women?
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Policy and practice: How can African countries develop approaches that recognise the distinct challenges facing boys and girls without reinforcing gender stereotypes or creating competition for resources?
I am particularly interested in evidence from African communities, schools, health services and youth development programmes. What are practitioners observing, and which interventions are producing measurable improvements?
If gender equality is about creating opportunities for every young person to thrive, how do we ensure that the boy child is neither overlooked nor positioned in opposition to the girl child?
I look forward to learning from experiences and evidence across the continent.
