This Women’s Day, let’s talk about something often overlooked: the critical link between infrastructure and gender equality.

In many communities across South Africa and Africa, the lack of basic infrastructure – from safe public transport to clean water and sanitation – continues to deepen inequality and endanger lives. And women bear the brunt of it.

• Across sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls spend a collective 40 billion hours a year collecting water
• 1 in 3 women in South Africa feel unsafe using public transport
• In rural areas, inadequate street lighting and footpaths make it unsafe for women to travel after dark

Poor infrastructure doesn’t just inconvenience women – it affects their safety, education, employment, and dignity.

It’s time for a shift. Infrastructure planning must consider the lived experiences of women.

• This means involving women in project design.
• Prioritising access to water, sanitation, transport, and energy in underserved communities.
• Ensuring every infrastructure project is also a tool for empowerment.

Let Women’s Day be a call not just for celebration, but for action – and for investment in infrastructure that uplifts women, not overlooks them.