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The ECOWAS Centre for Gender Development (ECGD) was established in January 2003, by Decision A/DEC. 16/01.03 of the ECOWAS Conference of Heads of State and Government, as a Specialized Agency of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), mandated to initiate and facilitate capacity building through knowledge-based training and skills transfer, development and management of programs for women and men in the public and private sectors, to address gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in ECOWAS integration programs.

The CCDG works closely with member states, but also with regional and international institutions and civil society organizations to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in the ECOWAS region and at continental and global levels.

The CCDG has, as part of its interventions in the 15 member states, developed technical and financial support programs for women, men, youth, and children. These programs are as follows:

  • Support program for the promotion of girls and boys in the specialized technical and vocational training sector through the provision of scholarships for excellence;
  • Medical and financial support program for women and girls suffering from obstetric fistula;
  • Technical and financial support program for women processors of agricultural, fishery, and handicraft products;
  • Technical and financial support program for civil society organizations working in the area of gender and development, notably REPSFECO and ROAJELF;
  • Support Project for the Protection of Child Victims of Violations of their Rights (PAPEV) in six Member States
  • “50 Million Women Have the Floor” project
  • etc

In terms of strategy and to better execute its programs at the country level, the CCDG relies on several measures to ensure that adequate foundations are established at the national and regional levels for the start-up and effective management of the Center.

At the national level, Gender Focal Points have been designated within the Ministry in charge of Gender and Women’s Empowerment in each member state, with the primary responsibility of serving as an interface between the Center and the member states. The role of the CCDG Focal Points is to promote the interests of the CCDG in the member states and to assist it in the effective implementation of its activities in the member states.

The main objective of the CCDG in identifying Gender Focal Points is to reach out to all stakeholders in the member states and create the right framework to carry out its mandate.

To enable the Focal Points to effectively carry out their functions, the CCDG has undertaken many initiatives to strengthen their human and institutional capacities. It has organized several seminars to train them in gender concepts and mainstreaming or other gender-related issues. It involves and consults them each time in the development of its programs, either at the regional and/or national level.

The CCDG Focal Points contribute to and facilitate the organization of the Center’s activities in member states, including national information and awareness seminars, training workshops on gender analysis and mainstreaming, and regional activities organized in collaboration with partners.

This is why, within the framework of the new ECOWAS VISION to 2050, given the new challenges related to the post-Covid 19 context and the important advances on the Gender Agenda at the national, regional, and continental levels, and to follow up on the adoption of its new Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027, the CCDG deemed it appropriate to renew contact with the Gender Focal Points to share the new program implementation strategies, taking into account the new management orientations. To do so, the CCDG proposes to hold an information, sharing, and consultation workshop with its Gender Focal Points in ECOWAS member states, from April 3 to 5, 2023, in Saly Mbour, Republic of Senegal.