The ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) on Friday, May 5, 2023, and Saturday, May 6, 2023, held a town hall meeting in Abuja, Nigeria.
The aim of the gathering was to enhance communication and support links between ECOFEPA and women and youth networks within the ECOWAS sub-region.
Hon. Dr. Sidie Mohammed Tunis, the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament was pleased to note that the meeting is in line with the current ECOWAS Vision 2050, which prioritizes the development of women and youth in the sub-region.
He further expressed the community’s commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable future.
“We have been working to ensure that the voices, aspirations, and massive inclusion of women and youth in politics and decision-making receive regional attention,”
During her welcome address, Hon. Woraye Sarr, the President of ECOFEPA, urged Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in member states to incorporate youth activities into their initiatives aimed at promoting the participation of women and youths in politics. She emphasized that achieving the 30% affirmative action for women’s representation requires a collective effort from all stakeholders, and that CSOs, in particular, have a crucial role to play in ensuring success in this endeavor.
Halima Ahmed, the Pioneer Secretary General of ECOWAS Parliament, has encouraged women in West Africa to continue pushing for political power-sharing opportunities, in order to meet the United Nations directed thirty-five per cent Affirmative Action.
Mrs. Ahmed, who played a key role in the formation of ECOFEPA, called on women in the region to keep pushing for more opportunities to be given to women in governance and the political sphere.
According to Ahmed, member states that have made progress in getting more women into parliament have done so through affirmative action. She therefore called on governments to continue to feel the pressure to implement affirmative action and pass the necessary laws.
Ahmed also stressed the need to give women the necessary wherewithal and create an economic environment that supports women’s participation in politics, as politics these days is largely driven by money, and few women have the resources to go into politics.
“The pressure should continue on governments for affirmative action because, over the years, we have been talking about getting women elected it’s just not just possible, the member states that have made progress in getting more women into parliament is through affirmative action, so I think we should lobby our governments to do that, to pass the necessary laws.”
“Eventually, we want the women to also be on equal basis with men by getting elected by giving them the necessary wherewithal, the economic environment for them; because these days, politics is about money and very few women have the money to go into politics, so we need these two-pronged approach, affirmative action and working towards election of women.”
Senator Biodun Olujimi, the First Vice President of ECOFEPA and a member of the Nigerian Senate, also called for special quotas for women in governance and politics. She urged political parties to be deliberate and insist that a particular quota be reserved for women, and suggested that special seats could be created for a specific period of time, to encourage more women to participate in politics.
Olujimi expressed disappointment over the low percentage of women elected in the next National Assembly of Nigeria and commended Senegal for its Gender Parity law.
She also praised Sierra Leone for recently signing into law the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment bill 2022, which guarantees the principles of inclusion, participation, and a more responsive posture on gender.
Kahdija Bamali, the National Coordinator of the Aspire Young Women Forum, emphasized the importance of mentoring and capacity building programs for young women in closing the gender gap in leadership positions.
Bamali noted that investing in skills development and capacity building programs for young women is crucial to closing the gender gap in leadership positions.
She believes that through mentoring, younger women can build their confidence, develop essential skills, and gain access to new opportunities.
Over 350 women and young people across the region participated in the Town Hall meeting, with the theme “Stimulating a Regional Dynamics for Mentoring the Next Generation of Decision Makers”.
Out of this number, there were about 28 Ghanaian delegates led by Member of Parliament for Effutu constituency, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, and other Members of Parliament.