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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has renewed its commitment to advancing women’s political leadership and inclusive governance across the sub-region, calling for the accelerated implementation of regional commitments to increase women’s representation in decision-making.
The commitment was reaffirmed on Thursday at the opening of the two-day West Africa Women’s Political Leadership Forum in Abuja, where the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, Damtien Larbli Tchintchibidja, urged member states to translate policy commitments into concrete action.
Speaking at the forum, Tchintchibidja called for the swift implementation of the Presidential Declaration on Strengthening Women’s Representation in Political Leadership, adopted by the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.
She described the declaration as a landmark commitment and a defining legacy of ECOWAS as the regional bloc commemorates its 50th anniversary.
According to her, the ECOWAS Commission remains committed to working with member states and development partners to implement the declaration and advance the objectives of ECOWAS Vision 2050.
She noted that strengthening women’s participation in politics and leadership is essential to building more inclusive democratic institutions and fostering sustainable development across West Africa.
The forum has brought together senior government officials, parliamentarians, representatives of regional institutions, development partners and civil society organisations to examine practical measures for improving women’s participation in governance.
Among the participants are Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; Director of the UNDP Regional Programme for Africa, T. J. Okere; President of the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA), Chantal Fanny; and Co-Chair of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) Private Sector Coalition, Catherine Touré.
During the two-day forum, participants are expected to identify practical pathways for implementing the ECOWAS Gender Parity Agenda 2035 through legislative reforms, stronger institutions, enhanced women’s political participation and deeper regional cooperation.
The meeting is also expected to produce recommendations to strengthen ECOWAS’ efforts in promoting inclusive governance, democratic institutions and sustainable development across West Africa.
