Our new joint report traces the links between illicit financial flows, tax abuse, and overwhelming debt, revealing how these forces undermine public budgets in Africa and sharpen gendered disparities.
30 years after governments endorsed the Beijing Platform for Action, the world has not delivered the conditions needed for gender equality to take root. A new report from CESR, the Alternative Information and Development Center (AIDC), and Tax Justice Network shows how tax abuse, illicit financial flows, and unsustainable debt continue to drain public resources across Africa, shaping the daily realities and opportunities of women and girls.
The continent loses about 88 billion US dollars annually to illicit financial flows, along with billions more through corporate profit shifting. These losses push governments toward regressive taxes, borrowing, and austerity that shrink budgets for health, education, water, and energy. Women and girls carry the burden when public systems erode, taking on unpaid care, leaving school earlier, and traveling farther for basic services, which deepens the feminization of poverty across Africa.
The report outlines how revenue losses weaken essential services and increase unpaid care, using sector data and community examples. It also sets out what governments could fund if these resources were retained, including expanded schooling, nutrition programs, and energy access.
