Comprehensive Gender Inclusion, Productive Capacity, and Governance Quality in Africa

The purpose of this study is to investigate the roles of productive capacity and comprehensive gender inclusion in shaping governance quality in Africa. The study is based on a sample of 51 African economies between 2005 and 2022. For robust policy recommendations, gender inclusion is examined across areas of work, politics, health, and education in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 5. The adopted empirical strategy for the study includes two versions of the Fixed Effects model and the dynamic system generalized method of moments. First, enhanced productive capacity emerges as a potent factor in shaping governance quality in Africa. Second, the inclusion of women in the domains of work, education, and politics positively influences governance quality. Interestingly, the findings indicate that rising maternal death is a deterring factor for governance quality. The associated policy recommendations are discussed in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063.