The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has advanced its efforts to promote gender-responsive governance by holding a technical validation meeting in Ghana as part of its institutional self-assessment under the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions (GES-PI).
The meeting brings together members of the ECOWAS Gender Equality Committee to review and validate evidence collected across the Commission, ensuring the self-assessment process is credible, transparent and aligned with internationally recognised gender equality standards.
The Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions, a flagship initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), supports public institutions in integrating gender equality into their policies, programmes, governance systems, organisational culture and workplace practices.
The initiative evaluates institutions in five key areas: planning and management for gender equality, institutional capacity, workplace environment, participation and accountability, and the impact of public policies.
Following the launch of the initiative within the ECOWAS institutional framework, directorates and departments gathered evidence to assess their performance. The validation meeting is expected to review the quality and completeness of the submissions, identify gaps and approve documentation before it is uploaded to the global Gender Equality Seal platform.
A series of virtual technical sessions was held ahead of the meeting to support participants in completing the assessment. Opening the session, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Ghana, Ambassador Mohammed Lawan Gana, described the validation exercise as a critical step in ensuring the assessment accurately reflects the Commission’s performance while identifying areas for improvement.
Gana ( Resident Representative of ECOWAS Ghana)
He noted that the Gender Equality Seal goes beyond evaluation, describing it as a strategic framework for embedding gender equality into policies, governance systems, human resource management, service delivery and institutional culture.
He urged participants to use their expertise to strengthen the process and support ECOWAS’ vision of becoming “an ECOWAS of People and Prosperity for All.” Acting Secretary-General of the ECOWAS Commission, Muazu Umar, stressed that gender equality is a collective responsibility and should not be viewed solely as the mandate of the ECOWAS Centre for Gender Development.
According to him, the success of the Gender Equality Seal depends on the commitment and ownership of every department, directorate, institution and staff member. He emphasised that gender equality must be integrated into all institutional decisions, policies and programmes rather than treated as a standalone activity.
Mr Umar also acknowledged the technical support provided by development partners, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the German development agency GIZ, describing their contributions as instrumental to the initiative.
Reaffirming the Commission’s long-term vision, he said ECOWAS aims to become a regional leader in promoting gender equality and good governance, while inspiring member states through inclusive policies that benefit women, men, girls and boys across West Africa.
Director of the ECOWAS Centre for Gender Development (ECGD), Sandra Oulaté Fattoh, disclosed that the meeting would finalise an action plan to guide the implementation of the Gender Equality Seal across all ECOWAS institutions from next year.
Development Centre (EGDC)
She explained that the assessment examines recruitment systems, staff representation, leadership opportunities and the equitable distribution of responsibilities between women and men throughout the Commission.
According to Ms Fattoh, representatives from the ECOWAS Commission, the ECOWAS Court of Justice, the ECOWAS Parliament, GIABA, the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) and other institutions are participating in the exercise.
She said Ghana was selected to host the meeting because of its leadership in advancing gender equality and its strong collaboration among public institutions in implementing programmes in education, health, agriculture and women’s empowerment.
Responding to concerns that gender initiatives often focus more on women than men, Ms Fattoh explained that the Commission’s objective is to achieve equal opportunities for everyone by addressing existing inequalities where they persist.
Organisers say the validation exercise marks a major milestone in completing the ECOWAS Commission’s self-assessment under the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions and reinforces the regional body’s commitment to advancing gender equality, inclusive governance and institutional accountability across West Africa.
Source: Nana Achiaa Aboagye