Scaling up gender mainstreaming in rural transport: analysis of policies, practices, impacts and monitoring processes

Abstract

Wide gender disparities have persisted in various forms within Ghanaian society including the transport sector. Previous gender mainstreaming efforts in this area have not always achieved their purpose, but even when successful, these initiatives are seldom up-scaled. This study explored the scalability potential of gender mainstreaming initiatives in Ghana using the second phase of the Transport Rehabilitation Programme (TRP-2) and the ongoing Cocoa Roads Rehabilitation project as case studies. The research found that Ghana’s gender policy landscape to be adequate but not necessarily optimal in operationalizing gender mainstreaming. This study emphasised the male dominance in the provision of rural transport infrastructure and services. Absence of gender issues in budgeting and a silence on gender issues in legislation and regulation points to weak gender responsiveness in the transport sector. A key observation is that gender mainstreaming components are more visible in donor funded programmes as compared to nationally funded programmes