ECOWAS strengthens monitoring and accountability mechanisms for the women, peace and security agenda in Togo

 The ECOWAS Commission, through its Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs (DAHS), in collaboration with Togo’s Ministry of Social Action, Solidarity and the Advancement of Women, has successfully organised a three-day national capacity-building workshop. The workshop, aimed at national stakeholders and focal points of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, was held at the Hôtel Concorde in Lomé from the 20^th to 22^nd of May, 2025. It focused on the use of the Continental Results Framework (CRC) for monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the WPS Agenda.

This initiative is part of ECOWAS’ ongoing efforts to help Member States strengthen their data-based monitoring, coordination and accountability systems, within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and related resolutions. The training is part of a wider regional strategy, funded by the ECOWAS Peace, Security and Governance Project (EPSG), co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ.

In his opening speech, Mr Olatunde Olayemi, Programme Officer at ECOWAS, representing the Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, Dr Sintiki Tarfa Ugbe, reaffirmed ECOWAS’s commitment to the WPS agenda. He pointed out that Togolese women and girls play an essential role in peace and social cohesion, and that this training will enable their contributions to be better documented at national and regional level.

Ms Camilla Gendolla, First Counsellor and Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy in Togo, emphasised her country’s support for inclusive peace-building through a feminist development policy. She stressed the importance of making the CRC a living tool, used in practice by institutions and civil society to measure progress and ensure accountability.

The Minister for Social Action, Mrs Kossiwa Zinssou-Klassou, represented by Mr Yodo Phillipe, Inspector of Services, expressed her gratitude to the EC-WEAO and its partners. He reaffirmed the Togolese government’s determination to integrate gender equality into all development policies, particularly in the area of peace and security. He welcomed the National Action Plan on Resolution 1325, which he described as a strategic roadmap for gender-sensitive governance. According to him, this workshop comes at the right time to strengthen national capacities in monitoring, evaluation and accountability.

More than 30 participants from ministries, security forces, women’s and youth organisations, the media and civil society were trained in the use of the CRC tool and its questionnaire. Using participatory methods, practical exercises and case studies, they improved their skills in monitoring and reporting on indicators linked to the WPS agenda, in conjunction with national and regional frameworks.

At the end of the workshop, five gender evaluation reports were presented to the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Togo. Prior to their official presentation, Ms Tamwakat Elizabeth Golit, expert in Women, Peace and Security at the ECOWAS Commission, outlined the main conclusions and recommendations for improved coordination and political action. She pointed out that these reports are available online on the ECOWAS website, in the interests of transparency and sharing.

Speaking on behalf of the ECOWAS Resident Representative, Mr Jérôme Wanyou Ouraga, Political Advisor, welcomed the production of these resources, describing them as essential for guiding targeted actions in favour of women in peace-building. He expressed the Office’s commitment to supporting efforts to coordinate with the institutions concerned so that the results of the reports are incorporated into national and regional policies. He also encouraged researchers, civil society actors and decision-makers to use these reports for re-research, advocacy and data-based planning.

The participants called for:

• Strengthen collaboration between institutions;
• Continued training;
• Integrate the CRC tool into national monitoring and evaluation systems on a long-term basis.

They also pledged to contribute to the drafting of Togo’s annual report on the WPS agenda, using the simplified CRC tool.

This workshop is the seventh of its kind organised by ECOWAS, following those held in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Benin, Liberia, Gambia and Senegal, as part of the implementation of the Continental Results Framework at regional level.