SA Makes GBA+ Training Mandatory to Transform Policy & Service Delivery

In a landmark move to strengthen equitable governance, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) has announced the compulsory rollout of a Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) online training course for public servants across all government functions. The initiative aims to embed intersectional thinking into public policy, budgeting and service delivery.

A First of Its Kind in Government Capacity Building

The GBA+ programme represents one of the most comprehensive efforts to date to institutionalise inclusive analysis in the South African public sector. Designed as a practical, self-paced online course, it equips officials with analytical tools to assess how intersecting factors — including gender, age, disability, race, socio-economic status and geography — affect people's access to opportunities and services.

"Government interventions must actively reduce inequality rather than entrench it," said DWYPD spokesperson Cassius Selala. "This training will build a new standard in how policies are developed, implemented and evaluated."

Bridging Persistent Gaps Across Departments

Despite national commitments to gender equality and inclusion, internal assessments have shown uneven application of gender mainstreaming and disability considerations in planning and budgeting. The mandatory GBA+ course directly addresses this by providing a consistent framework for:

• Policy development that accounts for the lived realities of diverse groups;

• Programme design that reaches underserved populations;

• Budget planning that allocates resources equitably;

• Monitoring and evaluation that measures impact beyond averages.

"This initiative goes beyond awareness — it builds capability," Selala added, noting that understanding intersectionality is crucial to achieving the goals of the National Development Plan and related strategies.

Enhancing Public Service Impact

The training, hosted on the DWYPD's learning platform, is open to all public servants. It includes case studies, practical tools and assessment modules that support immediate application in officials' day-to-day work.

Public servants can register and begin the course at https://learning.dwypd.gov.za/. Completion will be tracked department-wide to support a coordinated, institutionalised approach to inclusive governance.

Driving Accountability and Results

The DWYPD has partnered with key government clusters to embed GBA+ in performance frameworks, ensuring that departments not only complete the training but also demonstrate measurable shifts in policy and programme outcomes.

With inequality and exclusion persisting in multiple sectors, the compulsory GBA+ training positions South Africa at the forefront of government efforts to use analytical innovation to drive social change.