As part of its efforts to promote more focused and effective strategies for its programmes, USAID, in collaboration with the ECOWAS Centre for Gender Development (CCDG), organised a capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda. The workshop, aimed at CCDG staff and partners, was designed to address the complex challenges of peace and security by integrating gender considerations into conflict prevention, peacebuilding and the fight against violent extremism.

Organised from 02 to 04 October 2024, some 30 participants took part, including CCDG staff and representatives of the ECOWAS National Office in Senegal (BNC), the Peace and Security Network for Women in the ECOWAS Area (REPSFECO), the Consortium for Economic and Social Research (CRES) and the Association des Juristes Sénégalaises (AJS). The aim was to build their capacity to integrate and strategically apply the Women, Peace and Security agenda in their vision, strat-egies and activities, thereby maximising the effectiveness and impact of their interventions at all levels.

The opening ceremony was marked by a welcome address by the Director of the CCDG, who ex-pressed the wish to see this training extended to all ECOWAS divisions, both at management lev-el and to technical and support staff, to ensure greater ownership of the theme by the various segments of the institution in order to meet the current challenges effectively.

She also stressed the importance of specific training on integrating the gender, peace and securi-ty dimension into the fight against cross-border economic crime in West Africa.