The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) is confronting a deepening debt crisis, exacerbated by global geopolitical shifts and structural inequalities. With sovereign debt in Africa soaring to around US$1,8 trillion in 2024, Sadc nations such as Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Angola face severe financial strain, worsened by the retreat of multilateralism and volatile markets under the "Trump Effect” — a term describing the US withdrawal from global cooperation during the now Trump administration. This crisis is not gender neutral; it disproportionately burdens women, amplifying existing disparities. To forge a resilient future, Sadc must adopt feminist economic policies that prioritise equity, accountability, and regional solidarity.
Debt disproportionately affects women, particularly in Sadc countries where gender inequalities are prevalent. A 2024 UN Women study revealed that women in the region are significantly more financially excluded than men, which limits their access to financial opportunities. Economic policies focused solely on fiscal metrics often overlook the social dimensions that exist, leading to austerity measures that cut essential services like healthcare and education, services that women and children disproportionately rely on.
Gendered implications of debt
- Escalation of unpaid care work : Austerity driven cuts to public services force women to absorb roles that states abandon. In Malawi, where debt repayments consume 40% of the national budget, the closure of 120 rural clinics between 2021 and 2023 shifted healthcare burdens to households. Women now spend an average of eight hours weekly caring for sick relatives, time stripped from income generating activities. Similarly, in Zimbabwe, austerity induced water shortages mean women in Bulawayo queue for six to eight hours daily to secure water, perpetuating cycles of poverty.
- Education and intergenerational poverty: Debt driven budget cuts target education systems, disproportionately excluding girls. In Zambia, the 2023 suspension of free sanitary products in schools (to save US$2 million annually) led to a 15% drop in girls’ attendance. Meanwhile, Mozambique’s 2022 decision to raise secondary school fees by 30% pushed 200 000 girls out of classrooms, limiting their future economic mobility.
- Health systems collapse: Underfunded healthcare exacerbates maternal mortality. Angola’s debt to GDP ratio of 120% has left 70% of rural hospitals without electricity, contributing to a maternal death rate of 421 per 100 000 births - triple the global average. In Eswatini, HIV/AIDS programmes faced a 40% funding cut in 2023, disproportionately affecting women, who comprise 60% of HIV-positive adults.
- Gender based violence (GBV) surge: Economic despair fuels GBV. For example South Africa, where 45% of women report experiencing violence, saw a 25% rise in domestic violence cases post Covid -19 austerity. Shelters in Lesotho, reliant on state grants, closed 30% of facilities in 2023, leaving survivors with nowhere to turn.
Feminist roadmap for Sadc’s debt crisis
To dismantle systemic inequities, Sadc governments must implement the following strategies:
- Feminist debt audits: Conducting feminist debt audits involves analysing the impact of debt on women and girls, identifying biases in debt management, and developing strategies to address these issues. This will evaluate how debt servicing affects women's health, education, and economic opportunities.
The approach recognises that women are disproportionately affected by debt crises due to their roles in the economy and society. It also ensures that budget allocations address women's needs and priorities. Budget consultation processes must involve women in debt decision making processes to ensure their voices are heard.
A leaf can be drawn from Ecuador, where a citizen-led audit led to the cancellation of over 60% of its debt, citing illegitimacy and unsustainable terms. In Puerto Rico a commission was established to audit the island's public debt, highlighting illegalities and gender implications, and also, in Bolivia a report by the Bolivian Chapter of Human Rights, Democracy, and Development analysed the impact of public debt on women's human rights.
While no Sadc country has yet implemented a full audit, lessons can be drawn from Zambia’s 2020 debt restructuring process. Civil society groups highlighted how US$12,7 billion in external debt (94% of GDP) forced cuts to maternal health programmes. A formal audit could institutionalise gender responsive budgeting, ensuring funds prioritise healthcare and education. Similarly, Mozambique’s US$2,2 billion "hidden debt" scandal (2016) diverted resources from rural women’s cooperatives, a misstep audits could prevent.
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- Reject austerity, invest in care: Austerity exacerbates poverty. In 2023, Zambian activists successfully reversed school fee hikes that kept 500 000 girls out of education. Mozambique’s 2021–2025 Economic Plan now allocates 15% of its budget to healthcare, up from 9%, following protests by women’s groups. Sadc should follow suit by taxing elites (eg South Africa’s wealth tax proposals) and combating illicit financial flows, which drain US$50 billion annually from Africa. Redirecting these funds could expand childcare infrastructure, enabling women to join formal labour markets.
- Demand fair, gender-conditional debt relief: The G20’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) temporarily aided Malawi and DR Congo, but permanent relief is needed. Sadc should collectively advocate for debt cancellation tied to social spending, as seen in Angola’s 2023 deal with China, which redirected US$300 million from debt repayments to rural electrification and maternal clinics. Regional bodies like the African Union must push for expanded eligibility.
Angola’s 2023 debt restructuring deal with China included a groundbreaking clause: 20% of savings from rescheduled payments must fund women’s entrepreneurship programmes. This resulted in a US$50 million fund supporting 15 000 female led SMEs in agriculture and renewable energy. Such models prove that debt relief can catalyse gender equity when women’s voices shape terms.
- Amplify women in economic leadership: Women’s representation in Sadc economic decision making remains dismal. Only Botswana and South Africa have ever appointed female finance ministers. Increasing their participation is practical: When Namibia integrated gender budgeting in 2019, child grants reduced girls’ school dropout rates by 30%. Training programmes for women in fiscal management, like Tanzania’s "Women in Finance" initiative, must be scaled regionally. Women’s inclusion in fiscal decision making yields tangible results. When Tanzania appointed Dorothy Gwajima as Finance Minister in 2023, she prioritised gender responsive budgeting, increasing allocations to girls’ education by 20%. In Zimbabwe, women parliamentarians pushed through the Public Debt Management Act (2024), mandating gender impact assessments for all loans.
- Build regional solidarity: The Sadc Debt Collective: Sadc’s Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan prioritises collective action. A regional debt management framework, akin to the East African Community’s protocol, could pool negotiating power. For instance, joint advocacy by Zimbabwean and Malawian NGOs recently pressured the IMF to relax austerity conditions. Strengthening platforms such as the Sadc Parliamentary Forum ensures gender responsive policies are mainstreamed.
Conclusively, the "Trump Effect" exposed the fragility of dependency on external powers. Yet, Sadc holds the tools for self-determination. When Mozambican women march against austerity or Zambian activists demand education equity, they embody a vision of economies rooted in justice.
The choice is clear: Cling to broken systems, or champion policies that let women thrive. By centering feminism in debt governance, Sadc can transform this crisis into an opportunity for inclusive growth — where debt does not mean destitution, and women lead the way to recovery.
- Yollander Millin is a Social & Economic Justice Ambassador. These weekly New Horizon articles, published in the Zimbabwe Independent, are coordinated by Lovemore Kadenge, an independent consultant, managing consultant of Zawale Consultants (Private) Limited, past president of the Zimbabwe Economics Society and past president of the Chartered Governance & Accountancy Institute in Zimbabwe, - [email protected] or mobile +263 772 382 852
