ABSTRACT
The realization and acceptance of woman as an important variable in development in Africa is a recent phenomenon. This chapter examines the role of women as a catalyst in the struggle to develop Africa. It looks at the concept of development during three important periods in Africa’s history: colonialism; decolonization; and postindependence, and attempts to determine what may be in stock for African women in the 21st century. In the literature on pre-colonial Africa, the independence of women and their contributions to both politics and the economy are usually neglected. Many scholars were to eventually amend their positions on women and development. It eventually became clear to them that colonialism had been very instrumental in reducing the status of African women. Educational opportunities were available only to a few women, mostly from privileged families. Some of the problems that African women suffer from have their origins in colonial policies.
