Make Laws to Ensure Gender Parity, ECOFEPA Urges ECOWAS Member States

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

An appeal has gone to Nigeria and other countries in the West African sub-region to make laws that would ensure gender parity in their domain.

The call was made weekend during the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) Town Hall Meeting in Abuja.

Speaking while declaring open the meeting, the Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Dr. Sidie Mohammed Tunis, said it was pertinent to create an atmosphere of gender equality in the countries of the sub-region for growth and harmony.

Tunis, who appreciated the demonstration of commitment and political will exhibited by President Julius Maada Bio of the Republic of Sierra Leone, that recently signed into law the landmark Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Bill 2022, guaranteeing the principles of inclusion, representation, participation, and a more responsive posture on gender, said: “We are hopeful that similar action will be replicated in all our Member States.”

The Speaker also acknowledged and commended the very important steps taken by ECOWAS Member States to address gender issues.

On the townhall meeting, he said: “My sincere anticipation is that the days that have been allocated to this event would no doubt open a vista of hope for democracy in our region.

“I am optimistic that the lessons learned at the end of this townhall meeting, would transcend our region. With our ambitious and vibrant young population, we have good reasons to look up to the future.”

He noted that the substance of the meeting, which is adequately captured in
the theme ‘Rejuvenate Democracy by giving voice to the young people’, is particularly timely, stressing that: “It is coming at a time when the gains we have made towards strengthening democracy in the sub-region is being eroded by the sudden and unfortunate resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government in some Member States.”

He disclosed that the meeting was strategically aligned with the current ECOWAS Vision 2050, which places more emphasis on women and youth
development in the sub-region, and is aimed at addressing some of the issues that have contributed to gender inequalities in the region, despite the progress made by most countries regarding women’s participation in the
economic and social sectors.

He said: “I am happy to note that the ECOWAS Parliament, through the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA), has been a strong promoter of scaling up the number of female representations in politics and decision-making bodies in the subregion, by emphasizing the importance of shared values and common policies as a basis for peace and sustainable development.”

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Ann Iyonu, has urged the West Africa region to prioritize women and youth representation in governance as a way of improving the sub-region.

Iyonu empathized that democracy cannot thrive and function well if it is not inclusive, adding that the women and youth are major components of the society who should play critical roles in leadership and governance.

She said that the townhall meeting, aimed at giving voice to the women and youth, was timely but expressed disappointment over the low percentage of women elected into the next Assembly of Nigeria.

She also pointed out that the women and youth representatives especially in the parliaments of the West African region is very low compared to other regions in Africa where the gap has increasingly and progressively narrowed.

She narrated that in West Africa, only 15.7 per cent of the average proportion of seats were held by women in the national parliaments, which means the region is lagging behind other parliaments in Africa like East Africa with 30.8 per cent, Central Africa 21.7 per cent and North Africa with 20.3 per cent.

She however advocated that there should be a conscious and deliberate effort in changing the status quo of women and youth through education programmes that will boost the knowledge and skills of women and youth in the civic engagement, politics, leadership and public speaking through mentorship and networking opportunities.

She advocated special seats to be dedicated to women and youth to increase the numbers, noting that: “This might not be something we like to hear, out various governments will not like to hear it, but one of the measures which we can use to increase the participation of women is to dedicate special seats to increase representation of women and youths in political positions especially in parliament to inspire and encourage more women and young people in politics.”

In her goodwill message, the Country Representative of UN Women, Beatrice Eyong, thanked the Speaker for giving a budget for the activities of ECOFEPA. 

She emphasized the point of low representation of women in politics, adding that the domination of the political space by one gender cannot continue to be encouraged especially with the increase number of women and youth in the region.

Make Laws to Ensure Gender Parity, ECOFEPA Urges ECOWAS Member States

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

An appeal has gone to Nigeria and other countries in the West African sub-region to make laws that would ensure gender parity in their domain.

The call was made weekend during the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) Town Hall Meeting in Abuja.

Speaking while declaring open the meeting, the Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Dr. Sidie Mohammed Tunis, said it was pertinent to create an atmosphere of gender equality in the countries of the sub-region for growth and harmony.

Tunis, who appreciated the demonstration of commitment and political will exhibited by President Julius Maada Bio of the Republic of Sierra Leone, that recently signed into law the landmark Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Bill 2022, guaranteeing the principles of inclusion, representation, participation, and a more responsive posture on gender, said: “We are hopeful that similar action will be replicated in all our Member States.”

The Speaker also acknowledged and commended the very important steps taken by ECOWAS Member States to address gender issues.

On the townhall meeting, he said: “My sincere anticipation is that the days that have been allocated to this event would no doubt open a vista of hope for democracy in our region.

“I am optimistic that the lessons learned at the end of this townhall meeting, would transcend our region. With our ambitious and vibrant young population, we have good reasons to look up to the future.”

He noted that the substance of the meeting, which is adequately captured in
the theme ‘Rejuvenate Democracy by giving voice to the young people’, is particularly timely, stressing that: “It is coming at a time when the gains we have made towards strengthening democracy in the sub-region is being eroded by the sudden and unfortunate resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government in some Member States.”

He disclosed that the meeting was strategically aligned with the current ECOWAS Vision 2050, which places more emphasis on women and youth
development in the sub-region, and is aimed at addressing some of the issues that have contributed to gender inequalities in the region, despite the progress made by most countries regarding women’s participation in the
economic and social sectors.

He said: “I am happy to note that the ECOWAS Parliament, through the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA), has been a strong promoter of scaling up the number of female representations in politics and decision-making bodies in the subregion, by emphasizing the importance of shared values and common policies as a basis for peace and sustainable development.”

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Ann Iyonu, has urged the West Africa region to prioritize women and youth representation in governance as a way of improving the sub-region.

Iyonu empathized that democracy cannot thrive and function well if it is not inclusive, adding that the women and youth are major components of the society who should play critical roles in leadership and governance.

She said that the townhall meeting, aimed at giving voice to the women and youth, was timely but expressed disappointment over the low percentage of women elected into the next Assembly of Nigeria.

She also pointed out that the women and youth representatives especially in the parliaments of the West African region is very low compared to other regions in Africa where the gap has increasingly and progressively narrowed.

She narrated that in West Africa, only 15.7 per cent of the average proportion of seats were held by women in the national parliaments, which means the region is lagging behind other parliaments in Africa like East Africa with 30.8 per cent, Central Africa 21.7 per cent and North Africa with 20.3 per cent.

She however advocated that there should be a conscious and deliberate effort in changing the status quo of women and youth through education programmes that will boost the knowledge and skills of women and youth in the civic engagement, politics, leadership and public speaking through mentorship and networking opportunities.

She advocated special seats to be dedicated to women and youth to increase the numbers, noting that: “This might not be something we like to hear, out various governments will not like to hear it, but one of the measures which we can use to increase the participation of women is to dedicate special seats to increase representation of women and youths in political positions especially in parliament to inspire and encourage more women and young people in politics.”

In her goodwill message, the Country Representative of UN Women, Beatrice Eyong, thanked the Speaker for giving a budget for the activities of ECOFEPA. 

She emphasized the point of low representation of women in politics, adding that the domination of the political space by one gender cannot continue to be encouraged especially with the increase number of women and youth in the region.