By Morkporkpor Anku,
Accra, Aug. 4, GNA – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is advancing the implementation of its Gender Equality Seal to strengthen gender-responsive governance and institutional accountability.
The initiative seeks to assess how gender equality principles are integrated into the policies, governance systems, human resource management, service delivery and organisational culture of ECOWAS institutions.
Mr Mohammed Lawan Gana, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Ghana, said this at a technical working session in Accra to review and validate the Commission’s self-assessment before its submission to the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions global platform.
He said the technical session was timely because it would review and validate the self-assessment process to ensure that it remained credible, transparent and evidence-based.
Mr Gana described the Gender Equality Seal as more than an assessment tool, saying it was a strategic mechanism for promoting institutional excellence by integrating gender equality into decision-making and organisational practices.
He said the framework would enable institutions to measure progress, identify implementation gaps and adopt practical actions to build more inclusive and equitable workplaces while advancing ECOWAS Vision 2050, the African Union Agenda 2063 and Sustainable Development Goal Five.
Mr Joseph Monu, Head of Component, Institutional Support to ECOWAS at GIZ, described the workshop as an important milestone in the Commission’s institutional transformation agenda.
He said the exercise would enable the Commission to critically assess its systems, policies and practices, strengthen accountability and identify areas requiring further reforms.
Mr Monu said gender equality was a key pillar of good governance, institutional excellence and sustainable development, adding that institutions with inclusive workplaces were better positioned to deliver responsive policies and quality public services.
He commended the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre and development partners for supporting the initiative and encouraged participants to engage in constructive dialogue to produce a credible self-assessment that reflected achievements and highlighted opportunities for improvement.
Mr Muazu Umaru, Acting Secretary-General of the ECOWAS Commission, acknowledged that although gender equality had been embedded in ECOWAS Vision 2050 and other policy frameworks, implementation across the institution had not been satisfactory.
He said the Gender Equality Seal would provide an opportunity for the Commission to evaluate whether it was practising the principles it had adopted and identify concrete actions needed to improve performance.
Mr Umaru said the framework comprised 40 benchmarks, five assessment dimensions and a certification system with bronze, silver and gold levels to guide institutions on a path of
continuous improvement rather than serve as a punitive measure.
He described the exercise as a starting point for strengthening institutional accountability and urged participants to use the findings to reinforce implementation of the ECOWAS Gender Policy and other regional commitments.
Mr Umaru pledged the support of the Office of the Acting Secretary-General to provide the visibility, leadership and resources required for the successful implementation of the initiative across ECOWAS institutions.
The technical working session forms part of broader efforts by ECOWAS and its partners to strengthen governance, promote gender-responsive institutions and advance regional integration through inclusive and accountable public institutions.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey