Equal Opportunities for Women: ECOWAS Convenes Regional Consultation to Strengthen Gender Equality and Leadership By Raymond Enoch
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has renewed its drive for equal opportunities for women across West Africa, convening a high-level regional consultation aimed at breaking barriers that continue to limit women’s participation in politics and public leadership.
The meeting, held on the margins of the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, brought together ministers, regional institutions and development partners determined to accelerate gender equality and expand women’s roles in governance.
At the centre of the discussions was the urgent need to dismantle financial obstacles that often prevent women from contesting elections and fully participating in political life across the sub-region.
Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, Damtien Larbli Tchintchibidja, said the region must invest more deliberately in women and youth leadership if it hopes to build peaceful, inclusive and prosperous societies.
She stressed that women’s political participation is not merely a gender issue but a development imperative for West Africa.
Also speaking, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Fatou Sow Sarr, noted that strengthening women’s access to political leadership remains key to deepening democracy and ensuring balanced decision-making across member states.
The high-level session was chaired by Sierra Leone’s Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Isata Mahoi, who underscored the importance of translating policy commitments into practical reforms that support women aspiring to public office.
Other global voices also echoed the call for urgent action.
Ambassador Mohamed Edrees, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations, said financial barriers remain one of the most significant hurdles facing women seeking political office in Africa.
Similarly, Ahunna Eziakonwa, Assistant Secretary-General of the UN and senior official of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), alongside Binta Diop, President of the African Women Leaders Network, urged ECOWAS member states to take bold and decisive measures that will make political financing more accessible to women.
The consultation builds on earlier regional engagements, including discussions held in Accra, Ghana, where policymakers and stakeholders examined strategies to strengthen the political participation of women and youth in West Africa.
The initiative is also part of ECOWAS’ broader legacy project marking its golden jubilee, which seeks to promote the adoption of a model law on gender-responsive political financing to guide reforms across member states.
Closing the session with a strong call to action on behalf of the ECOWAS Parliament, the President of the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA), Chantal Fanny, urged leaders across the region to move beyond promises.
“The future of our region will not only be built with women,” she said, “it will be shaped by their leadership.”
With the renewed commitment from ECOWAS and its partners, stakeholders say the push for gender equality and equal opportunities for women is gaining momentum across West Africa.
