By Edith Atiaka Eshun
Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to expand political space for women and young people as it hosts the ECOWAS Regional Consultation on Political Participation and Leadership of Women and Young People in West Africa in Accra.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, the Chief Director at the Ministry of Gender, Dr. Afisah Zachariah, said Ghana is on course with its resetting agenda, which seeks to dismantle structural, institutional, and socio-cultural barriers that limit the participation of women and youth in governance.
A major milestone, she noted, is the passage of the Affirmative Action and Gender Equity Act of 2024, Act 1121, which provides a legal framework to promote gender balance in political and public leadership, as well as establishes mechanisms to ensure accountability.
The consultation, led by the ECOWAS Commission with support from the ECOWAS Centre for Gender Development (ECGD), is focused on strengthening women and youth participation in political leadership and decision-making.
Officials noted that although women and young people constitute the majority of West Africa’s population, their representation in elective office and executive leadership remains low.
Dr. Afisah Zachariah reiterated that under President John Dramani Mahama, Ghana is working to reverse the trend through legal and policy reforms aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 16, African Union Agenda 2063, and the ECOWAS Gender Policy.
She said the ongoing review of the National Gender Policy, spanning 2025 to 2034, and the implementation of the 10-year National Youth Policy, from 2022 to 2032, aims at positioning young people not only as future leaders but as active partners in governance today.
The Director of ECGD, Mrs. Sandra Oulaté Fattoh, said the meeting comes at a historic time as ECOWAS marks 50 years since its establishment in 1975. She cited a 2024 ECOWAS gender inequality study showing that women hold only 18.4 per cent of parliamentary seats across the region, while youth under 35 remain significantly underrepresented.
Mrs. Fattoh called for a harmonized regional framework to achieve a 50-50 gender parity in elective bodies by 2035. She stressed the need to move beyond symbolic quotas to legally binding parity measures at national and local levels.
The President of the Senegal Chapter of the Réseau Ouest Africain des Jeunes Femmes Leaders (ROAJELF), Dr. Zipporah Dione, underscored the importance of strategic regional collaboration. She highlighted the ALPOJEF EMPOWONEN project, a mentorship, capacity-building, and advocacy platform designed to strengthen transformational leadership among women and youth, support structured political engagement, and bridge the gap between institutions and youth organisations.
“Our ambition is not only to train. Our ambition is to transform, transforming mentalities, transforming access to power, and transforming political representation in West Africa,” she said.
Dr. Dione stressed that sustainable impact requires synergy among regional institutions, civil society, women and youth networks, as well as technical and financial partners.
The Senior Adviser to the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission in charge of Human Capital Development, Ruben Johnson, told GBC-Obonu News that women and youth play critical roles in driving political and economic participation across West Africa. Mr. Johnson, who also serves as a Programme Coordinator for the Human Capital Development Programme, said the golden jubilee celebration presents an opportunity for ECOWAS to take stock of its achievements over the past five decades, particularly in advancing gender-focused initiatives within the sub-region.
He explained that while human capital development remains central to ECOWAS’ integration agenda, meaningful political and economic participation cannot be achieved without the active involvement of women and young people.
The collaboration with the Gender Centre, he added, is therefore aimed at reviewing progress made so far, identifying gaps, and charting a clearer path toward strengthening gender parity and inclusive governance over the next 50 years.
As deliberations continue, stakeholders are expected to develop actionable recommendations aimed at institutionalizing political inclusion and advancing a new era of inclusive governance across West Africa.
More Stories Here
Source:
www.gbcghanaonline.com