As part of its commitment to promoting gender equality within ECOWAS institutions, the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre (EGDC), under the leadership of the Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, is organising a regional self-assessment workshop on the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions (GES-PI). The event will be held from the 22^nd to 25^th of September 2025 in Praia, Republic of Cabo Verde.

This workshop is a key step in the roll-out of the GES-PI initiative, which was officially launched in September 2024 in Accra, Ghana, by the EGDC in collaboration with GIZ and UNDP.

It will bring together members of the ECOWAS Gender Equality Committee (GEC), experts, partners and EGDC and GIABA staff around three main objectives:

1. Prepare GEC members and focal points to conduct self-assessments to identify gender gaps based on the Seal’s methodologies and standards;
2. Strengthen the knowledge and skills needed to support the development and implementation of an action plan for the deployment of GES-PI in ECOWAS departments and agencies;
3. Discuss and adopt a GES-PI implementation model strategically aligned with the institutional, political and regional context of ECOWAS.

This workshop should enable the adoption of a regional Seal model, the identification of pilot institutions, and the redefinition of the roadmap and technical support strategy for its implementation in West Africa.