Adolescent Girls’ and Young Women’s Economic Empowerment in Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania: Context, Indicators, and Challenges

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are an important social and economic demographic. Ensuring
their social, economic, and physical well-being is critical to promoting gender equality and sustainable
development. However, across Africa, AGYW confront a variety of challenges, including limited access to
education, poverty, insufficient access to healthcare, high unemployment, and sociocultural norms that
limit their ability to thrive. This report highlights the current context, trends, and concerns surrounding the
economic empowerment of AGYW in Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania. It presents the sociocultural and
policy context, as well as important challenges to economic and social empowerment for AGYW in those
countries. All three countries have no shortage of policy and programmatic initiatives aimed at improving
the conditions of AGYW. Despite these efforts, millions of AGYW in these countries remain excluded,
underprivileged, and unable to access basic social, educational, and health services. Changing this reality for
AGYW will require more targeted efforts to implement existing policy and programmatic initiatives. There is
also an urgent need for innovative programs that work directly with the most vulnerable AGYW to overcome
the factors that contribute to their economic marginalization and provide them with the resources, networks,
and skills to advance, become economically independent, and enjoy better living conditions. Research is
essential for understanding the challenges of current initiatives and providing evidence to guide new policies
and solutions.