Gender experts and representatives from the Human Capital Development programme of ECOWAS Member States gathered in Accra, Ghana, from February 17 to 18, 2026. The meeting was part of a Regional Consultation focused on advancing political participation and leadership opportunities for women and youth in West Africa by 2035. This technical session is scheduled ahead of a Ministerial Meeting and High-Level Advocacy event on the same theme.
The consultation forms part of ECOWAS’ 50th anniversary celebrations under the ‘Legacy Project’, which seeks to promote gender parity in elected bodies across member states between 2025 and 2035. The initiative is supported by several departments within the ECOWAS Commission, as well as the Office of the Vice-President, Social Affairs and Political Affairs Departments, ECOWAS Court of Justice, and ECOWAS Parliament.
Technical partners involved include UNDP, UN Women, Bernadotte FOLKE Academy, Spanish Cooperation, Koffi ANNAN Foundation, ECOFEPA (ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association), WAXI, and ROAJELF (West African Network of Young Women Leaders). These organizations work regionally to advance gender equality and youth engagement.
ECOWAS has noted that women and young people remain underrepresented in political institutions despite their significant demographic presence. According to Inter-Parliamentary Union data from 2023, women hold only about 18.4% of parliamentary seats on average in West Africa; representation for those under age 35 is even lower.
During the opening ceremony, Ms Sandra OULATÉ FATTOH, Director of the ECOWAS Centre for Gender Development (ECGD), said: “It provides the ideal opportunity to analyse legal and social obstacles and formulate bold recommendations for far-reaching electoral reforms with a view to achieving gender parity in the elected bodies of ECOWAS Member States by 2035.”
Ms Zipporah NDIONE, President of ROAJELF, added: “I reaffirm ROAJELF’s willingness to strengthen existing partnerships and co-develop innovative initiatives linked to the Legacy Project.”
Representing Honourable Chantal FANNY at ECOFEPA was Honourable Moïma BRIGGS MENSAH who stated that women’s participation is essential as they are central to building future societies.
Dr Afisah ZAKARIAH officially opened the Experts’ Meeting on behalf of Ghana’s Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection. She said: “Ghana reiterates its commitment to consolidating this progress and strengthening its collaboration with ECOWAS and its partners in order to sustainably advance the agenda of gender equality and the political participation and leadership of women and young people.”
The Regional Consultation aims to provide an open platform for dialogue among stakeholders. It consists of three main parts: an Experts’ Meeting analyzing barriers facing women’s and youth’s political involvement; a Ministerial Meeting on February 19 that will review findings; followed by a High-Level Advocacy Meeting on February 20 aimed at mobilizing decision-makers toward reforms supporting inclusive participation.
The Legacy Project is designed as a flagship effort consolidating achievements in democratic governance while laying groundwork for regional policies promoting equal opportunities between men and women. It includes plans for developing model legislation or guidelines that member states could adopt to support these reforms by 2035.
ECOWAS continues efforts across multiple sectors—including trade policy harmonization—to improve living standards throughout West Africa according to its official website. The organization works through coordinated policies affecting infrastructure development, economic integration among twelve countries with ambitions for broader regional reach as outlined online. Leadership within ECOWAS comprises a president supported by other officials per institutional details, guiding programs such as this one targeting social development.