ECOWAS IS CONDUCTING A SELF-ASSESSMENT TO OBTAIN THE GENDER EQUALITY CERTIFICATE.

Since August 2023, ECOWAS, through its Gender Development Center (EGDC), and with the support of GIZ and UNDP, has been engaged in the process of obtaining the Gender Equality Label with a view to mainstreaming gender into its governance, policies and institutional practices. As part of this initiative, the EGDC, is organising a workshop from 3 to 5 August 2026 in Accra, Republic of Ghana, to develop the ECOWAS Gender Equality and Inclusion (GES-PI) Action Plan. The main objective of this workshop is to provide ECOWAS with an operational and validated Action Plan, which will ultimately lead to the award of the Gender Equality Seal (GES).

This workshop was preceded by a number of key milestones that enabled ECOWAS to make significant progress towards obtaining the Seal. In August 2023, ECOWAS established its GES Committee by appointing Focal Points within each institution, department, directorate and specialised agency. In September 2024, the initiative was officially launched, demonstrating ECOWAS’s formal commitment to positioning itself as a continental benchmark on gender issues.

From June to August 2025, ECOWAS carried out a baseline study assessing the initial state of gender equality within its various institutions. Finally, in September 2025, following the baseline study, it organised a training session that enabled members of its GES Committee to familiarise themselves with the self-assessment framework, the scoring matrix and the GES PI online platform.

The aim of this workshop is therefore to examine and validate the evidence collected against the standards and benchmarks of the Gender Equality Label, and to finalise ECOWAS’s self-assessment with a view to submitting it to the global platform of the Gender Equality Label for Public Institutions.

The opening ceremony of the meeting featured several speeches. In his welcome address, His Excellency Ambassador Lawan GANA, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Ghana, noted that this meeting comes at a pivotal moment in the history of the ECOWAS Community. The Gender Equality Label initiative calls for a profound structural transformation of economies, the consolidation of democratic institutions and the promotion of inclusive growth that leaves no one behind. Furthermore, he stated: “By paving the way for innovative and gender-sensitive governance practices, we are inspiring Member States and helping to establish ECOWAS as a model of responsible regional integration.”

Mr Joseph Chukwudi MONU, representing GIZ, noted: “This initiative offers a strategic opportunity to assess institutional systems, policies and practices, to identify areas requiring strengthening and to consolidate gains in the area of gender equality.”

Dr Mua’zu UMARU, Secretary-General of the ECOWAS Commission, emphasised that the real challenge ECOWAS seeks to address through obtaining the Gender Equality Label is that of ensuring its commitments to institutionalising gender are translated into concrete actions. Thus, the self-assessment exercise currently under way provides an opportunity to objectively examine ECOWAS’s practices, identify areas where further efforts are needed, and strengthen institutional capacity to meet the requirements of the Gender Equality Label. He also noted that the objective is not merely to obtain certification, but above all to embark on a sustainable process of organisational transformation: “This initiative must be seen as a starting point and not as an end in itself. Institutional progress is a gradual process that requires perseverance, commitment and continuous improvement,” he noted.

Ms Sandra OULATÉ FATTOH, Director of the EGDC, delivering the speech on behalf of the Honourable Prof. Fatou SOW SARR, Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs at the ECOWAS Commission, stated that this Seal is much more than a certificate. It is a tool for institutional transformation. It helps to measure progress, identify areas requiring improvement and implement concrete actions to strengthen gender equality in all ECOWAS practices. “We want our actions to inspire Member States and other regional organisations. We want our policies to deliver tangible results for the benefit of women, men, girls and boys in our region,” the EGDC, Director added.

At the conclusion of this workshop, the ECOWAS Gender Equality Committee will have verified the evidence collected by the various teams involved in the process and validated the verification methods for the five dimensions