Women play such a huge role of simply being the mainstay of society even through adversity. In Sub-Saharan Africa, like many parts of the world, gender empowerment and its relationship with women's health is sadly not progressing the way that it should. Lack of empowerment for women in this region has resulted in a lack of essential health services provided for women and governments have not taken enough action to tackle the health challenges in regards to gender. As such, there is a rising AIDS/HIV prevalence, and problems with reproductive health leading to extremely high rates of maternal mortality (Nwogwugwu, 2020).

 

Women’s health provides a foundation of social and economic growth in the Africa Region through improving education, leading to empowerment so that women can make independent choices in regards to their healthcare. This should be combined with the help of policy making and using a multi sectoral approach to help with economic poverty which can in turn influence women’s health care and economic well-being.

 

In addition to empowering women through education and by challenging long standing stereotypes, a key factor in shaping the future of better healthcare of women in Sub Saharan Africa is socioeconomic benefits. There will be greater productivity in workforces and specifically farm labour which is dominated by females, if investments in access to healthcare and quality are improved (Nwogwugwu, 2020). This also leads to better survival rates of future generations as maternal health is vital. Currently, many healthcare services are not being provided in the way they should be, predominantly in rural areas and for specific concerns such as violence and sexual health. It is vital that public education programs and organizations provide efforts to help with these along with the government.

 

On the bright side, there are many nonprofit organizations that are actively working to engage women and address gender inequality in order to create sustainable developments and progressions in healthcare. These organizations enable women to have a voice and provide leadership opportunities, such as Africare, which involves community engagement and providing resources to women in the belief that as women gain higher education and greater status, they are able to provide their households with better nutrition and access to healthcare. Similarly, the Asante Africa Foundation takes a holistic approach in using education to promote economic growth and taking into account cultural, social, and health factors, in the form of education on reproductive health, and mobilizing women in their communities (Alexander, 2020).

 

Thus, there are many organizations on the ground level taking steps to improve this cause, and calling for a rethinking of ways to approach women’s health in regions of Africa.

 

It is also crucial for governments to become better involved to initiate change on a large scale. Women are the builders of Africa’s future; understanding the important role of women will provide Sub-Saharan Africa to realize its full potential.