Uncovering Gender and Inclusivity in SGCI’s Early Work

The Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) has made notable progress in strengthening research systems across Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, a recent rapid review of SGCI Phase 1 documents highlights that gender and inclusivity (G&I), while present, were not always at the forefront of program design or implementation.

A Subtle but Persistent Presence

The review analysed 71 documents, including reports, strategies, and surveys, to assess how G&I featured across SGCI-1. The findings show that:

• Gender was mainly framed as binary, referencing “women” and “men”, with limited mention of other dimensions like age, disability, or ethnicity.
• G&I appeared most visibly in event participation, particularly in counting the number of women attending meetings or speaking on panels.
• At the organisational level, there was a notable gap: while individuals expressed interest in gender mainstreaming, institutions rated it as a low priority.

Pockets of Progress

Despite these limitations, important strides were made:

• The Gender Mainstreaming Framework and Action Plan, developed at the recommendation of donors and SGCI’s Initiative Management Team (IMT), became a key output guiding Phase 2 implementation.
• Performance benchmarking exercises in later years revealed significant gender disparities, such as the underrepresentation of women and people with disabilities in research leadership and funding.
• Some SGCI-participating countries, including Botswana, Ghana, and Mozambique, identified G&I as a key area for capacity strengthening in SGCI-2.

Looking Forward

The review underscores that visibility matters. When G&I is intentionally included, it exposes critical gaps—offering opportunities for reform. The Phase 1 experience laid the groundwork for:

• Institutionalising gender mainstreaming as a formal output in SGCI-2’s monitoring and evaluation framework.
• Encouraging councils to move beyond numerical representation and address structural inequalities in research and innovation.
• Framing inclusivity as a driver of scientific excellence, not merely an add-on.

As SGCI continues its journey, embedding G&I deeply and systemically will be essential to building equitable and effective science systems across Africa.