ECOWAS AND MEMBER STATES REAFFIRM COLLECTIVE ACTION TO STRENGTHEN CHILD PROTECTION IN WEST AFRICA

The ECOWAS Commission, through its Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs (DHSA), convened a high-level virtual engagement from 22 to 24 April 2026, bringing together Directors in charge of Child Protection from Member States to advance regional efforts in safeguarding children. The annual meeting served as a strategic platform to review progress in implementing the ECOWAS Strategic Framework for Strengthening National Child Protection Systems to Prevent and Respond to Violence, Abuse and Exploitation Against Children in West Africa, adopted by Heads of State and Government in 2017.

The sessions brought together representatives from 12 ECOWAS Member States, Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, demonstrating strong regional commitment to protecting children’s rights.

In her welcome address, Madam Ali Tiloh Bassasso Essossinam, Programme Officer for Child Rights, Child Protection, and Child Labour at DHSA, commended participants for their continued engagement in the periodic review process. She emphasized that the meeting was not a platform for judgment, but rather an opportunity to assess progress, identify challenges, and refine strategies. Highlighting ECOWAS’ monitoring and evaluation mandate, she underscored the development of an online tool to support implementation. She provided an update on the progress made since 2022 toward operationalizing the ECOWAS Child Rights Information Management System (ECRIMS), calling on Member States to contribute actively to improving the digital platform. She concluded by wishing participants a productive and successful meeting.

Delivering the opening remarks, Mr. Daniel Albert Gbow of Sierra Leone, representing the current Chair of the ECOWAS Authority, commended the Commission for organizing the meeting and called for strengthened collective responsibility among Member States. He highlighted critical child protection challenges in the region, including trafficking, street-connected children, children in contact with the law, stigma, sexual abuse and exploitation, and conflict-related vulnerabilities. He stressed that effective child protection requires a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach, integrating systems and institutions to enhance service delivery, and called for stronger regional collaboration in line with international and regional child rights frameworks.

Throughout the meeting, Member States expressed strong appreciation for the ECOWAS Child Rights Information Management System (ECRIMS), recognizing its value as a strategic tool for data collection, information sharing, and evidence-based decision-making to improve child welfare across the region.

Recognizing the usefulness of the ECRIMS platform, Member States recommended the development of a user manual and the provision of regular training for national focal points to ensure its effective utilization, while also encouraging the replication of the system at national and subnational levels to strengthen data collection and information sharing. They further urged increased domestic resource allocation, calling on Member States to dedicate at least 3% of national budgets to child protection interventions in line with the ECOWAS Child Policy adopted in June 2019, and encouraged the ECOWAS Commission to continue mobilizing resources to support and sustain the ECRIMS mechanism. Additionally, while acknowledging ongoing efforts in service delivery to vulnerable children, Member States emphasized the need to further improve these services and enhance the documentation and sharing of best practices across the region.

The meeting concluded with a renewed call for sustained action on the five regional priorities ending violence against children, eliminating child marriage, combating child labour, promoting universal birth registration, and protecting children on the move. Participants also emphasized the importance of strengthened collaboration, increased resource mobilization, and reinforced stakeholder engagement to accelerate the implementation of child rights commitments across West Africa.