The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is set to introduce the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions with particular focus on the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, with a view to positioning it as a regional reference institution for inclusive governance.
The programme, initiated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions, is a global certification framework designed to support and recognise the efforts of public institutions to achieve substantive gender equality between women and men, thereby accelerating the attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The event was organised by the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre and presided over by the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mrs Damtien Tchintchibidja, in Lomé, Togo.
In her official opening address, Mrs Tchintchibidja underscored that the meeting went beyond a routine activity, describing it as a strategic turning point and a call to action that places the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development at the forefront of African financial institutions committed to inclusive governance.
“The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development is taking a decisive step in its commitment to gender equality and inclusion by officially integrating the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions into its internal structures,” she said.
The President of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, Dr George Agyekum Donkor, reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to making gender equality a tangible reality within the institution in the coming years through the implementation of key strategic actions.
These include the establishment of an ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions Committee and the conduct of a baseline self-assessment, which will inform the development and validation of an institutional action plan for the 2026–2027 period.
The meeting provided participants with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of, and review, the global state of implementation of the United Nations-led Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions initiative. It also served as a platform for ECOWAS institutions— notably the ECOWAS Commission and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development — to present internal measures and ongoing efforts aimed at promoting gender equity within their respective institutions.
This roadmap will support the progressive implementation of the Seal
and preparation for certification.
to attain Gold certification under the Gender Equality Seal in the first half of 2027,” Dr Donkor said.
As a reminder, the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions (GES-PI) supports public institutions in integrating gender equality principles and practices into their structures, organisational culture, and policies, with the aim of strengthening their approaches and enhancing their potential impact on women’s lives, empowerment, and gender equality.
The framework is built around five key domains and provides for progressive recognition of achievements through Bronze, Silver, and Gold certification levels.
The initiative is being implemented within the ECOWAS Commission by the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre, which successfully launched the programme on 9 September 2024 and has since overseen its deployment across various ECOWAS departments and specialised institutions.