Women's Rights
The Law Does Not Protect Us — And The Data Proves It : A RFLD Op-Ed on the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2026 Report
The 2026 World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law (WBL) report reveals a troubling gap between legal rights for women and their actual enforcement in West Africa. Although some countries demonstrate favorable legal frameworks for gender equality, the systems required for implementation and enforcement are severely lacking. The report assesses countries like Togo and Côte d’Ivoire, which appear progressive on paper but exhibit significant deficits in institutional support. Alarmingly, all fifteen West African countries score zero on childcare support frameworks, highlighting a critical barrier to women’s economic participation. The findings underscore the urgent need for investment in feminist infrastructure to truly safeguard women’s rights.
