Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa is a rural phenomenon and a gender equity issue. Successive studies have indeed shown that over 70 percent of the region's poor live in rural areas, the majority of whom are women and girls. These findings have also clearly shown the link between gender imbalance in access to mobility means and the consequent ability to participate in social, economic and political activities. While these findings have traced the root causes of this imbalance to traditional practices and cultural values, they have also pointed out that behavioral change is possible where the adverse consequences of the imbalance on women and girls  have been pointed out and discussed in a non-threatening atmosphere. Such exercises have helped to bring out the fact that their travel needs are different from those of their male counterpart linked to their reproductive roles in society. The extra transport burden borne by females often has adverse health implications, not to mention the limitations in access to educational opportunities.
 The SSATP has been in the forefront of research into gender issues in rural transport under the Rural Travel and Transport Program (RTTP). Some of these findings have been used in advocacy for greater gender balance in transport policies and practice outside of the rural transport sector. Beyond simply disseminating its research findings, a central objective of the RTTP was to promote the mainstreaming of gender in rural transport policies, programs and projects. Specific gender objectives were: to reduce overall transport burden with respect to time, effort, and cost for rural households; improve accessibility of rural households to basic services through increased mobility and improved location of services; and develop gender sensitive economic and social evaluation methodology. The Gender and Rural Transport Initiative (GRTI) was established under RTTP to provide a focal point for the implementation of these gender objectives. Begun in 1999 with funding by the Development Grant Facility (DGF), the GRTI has been a unique initiative creating and supporting a cadre of practitioners across Africa trained in gender mainstreaming for the sector. The program has generated a wealth of materials (trainings, case studies, lessons learned briefs, etc.) and supported many innovative pilot projects and country workshops across the continent. The SSATP website contains most of these materials which are now being used, combined with additional materials from other sources, to compile a resource guide on gender mainstreaming in transport policies and projects.
Gender balance in transport helps increase women's productivity, broaden their access to health, education services, information thus helping to promote social cohesion and helping transport contribution to poverty alleviation. This is the key message now informing SSATP's future work on gender mainstreaming under its Long Term Development Plan (LTDP).
Within its LTDP, the SSATP seeks every opportunity to mainstream gender into its works, particularly those under the poverty responsive transport policies and strategies, affordable transport services and, of course, rural transport. To provide an organizing framework for pursuing this concern, the SSATP has recently supported the establishment of a women advocacy group.
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