This report is the outcome of a three-month research project which was conducted from August to October, 1985, on behalf of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa through its subregional office, the Multinational Programming and Operational Centre, Lusaka. The research was undertaken in accordance with the ECA/MULPOC Project Proposal which provided the general framework for the study. The report deviates in format from the ECA/MULPOC framework. In focusing upon access for out-of-school girls to education, training and employment, the ECA/MULPOC framework appears overtly empiricist and repetitious. Overlap in a study of this nature is unavoidable - for example, the discussion on access for out-of-school girls in Zimbabwe reflects upon the status and position of women which in turn is contingent on the country's historical legacy as well as its national policy.United Nations Economic Commission for Africa