The impact of wars in Africa

This review article critically examines the persistent gap between policy rhetoric and substantive influence for women in south sudan's peacebuilding processes, focusing on the economic dimensions of post-conflict recovery. Despite robust national frameworks, such as south sudan's UNSCR 1325 National Action Plan, women’s participation often remains tokenistic within economic reintegration and peace-responsive enterprise. Employing a systematic methodology—including structured database searches, explicit inclusion criteria, and thematic analysis of literature from 2021–2026—this review interrogates the mechanisms perpetuating this disparity. It argues that while formal inclusion has increased, transformative agency is constrained by entrenched patriarchal norms in institutions, limited access to peacebuilding finance, and the systemic undervaluing of women’s informal economic roles. The thematic synthesis identifies pivotal strategies, such as women-led cooperative models and gender-responsive budgeting in post-conflict programmes, which demonstrate potential to shift practice from symbolic participation to meaningful influence. The significance of this analysis lies in its reframing of women as indispensable economic actors whose full agency is foundational to sustainable peace. The article concludes that bridging the implementation gap requires a deliberate reorientation of peacebuilding practice to centre women’s leadership and economic empowerment as pillars of lasting stability in south sudan.