The Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS has been urged to promote women’s equal access to political power and decision making positions in the region.
The call was made at a virtual meeting organized by the ECOWAS Commission to mark 2021 International Women’s Day in Abuja, which has the theme “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a Covid-19 World” with the global theme for this year being “Choose To Challenge”.
The regional body has also been called upon to improve the economic status of women through human capital development.
The Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Finda Koroma, addressing the participants, encouraged young women and girls to aspire to achieve higher goals in life by dreaming big and reach for their enormous pool of natural talents and competence to actualize their dreams.
She added that the ECOWAS Regional Stabilisation and Development Funds is targeted primarily at women and girls, stressing that institutional reforms been embarked upon by the commission will help position women to aspire to greater heights.
The Commissioner for Political Affairs Peace and Security, Fatimah Ahmed at the meeting called on the leaders in the region to ensure women’s equal access to full participation in power structure and decision-making.
She noted that even though the region has taken some remarkable steps, there is still a lot of work to be done to achieve gender equality.
“Around us and at far distances, in the media, we see that the situation of women and girls requires more attention, recall issues of rape, domestic violence, sexual exploitation of minors and women, underrepresentation of women in the public space etc.”
According to Fatimah Ahmed, “the International Women’s Day is a reminder for us all to recommit ourselves to the goal of improving the place of women in the Society.”
On her part, the President of ECOWAS Commission Women Forum, Hajiya Raheemat Omoro Momodu, decried unfavorable representation of women even as she called for mainstreaming strategy to address the imbalance in ECOWAS institutions.
“A quick peep shows that we have 3 female out of 16 statutory appointees at the Commission (18.75%) and 7 female Directors out of 45 Directors in all ECOWAS Institutions (15.5%) including 2 female Special Representatives who are temporary staff.”
“This means we have 2 female Special Representatives out of 14 (14.2%).”
Hajiya Raheemat Omoro Momodu urged the ECOWAS Commission to lead by example to the member States so as to be in the position to insist that member States comply with the beautiful ECOWAS Gender Equality texts which has been developed.
Dominica Nwabufo
