ECGD, USAID West Africa organize meeting of the regional coordination committees of its programmes

The ECOWAS Centre for Gender Development (ECGD), in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), launched on Tuesday 04 June 2024 in Saly, Republic of Senegal, the 2nd edition of the meeting of the regional coordination committees of its flagship programmes implemented in the 15 ECOWAS Member States.

This meeting, which aims to discuss the state of implementation of the programmes, is the first stage in a series of activities, supported financially and technically by the USAID West Africa, a strategic partner in the implementation of ECGD’s programmes in the Member States.

At the opening ceremony of the meeting, the ECOWAS national office gave a welcome address and the Director of the ECGD delivered a message, recalling the Centre's objective in implementing its three main programmes, which is to create an enabling environment for gender equality and the economic and social empowerment of women and girls. More specifically, the ECGD’s aim is to ensure its repositioning as the agency responsible for implementing and monitoring the ECOWAS gender policy.

The Director of the centre took the opportunity to express her special thanks to USAID, for mobilising its entire team to support the ECGD in organising this activity in addition to its much-appreciated financial contribution.

In her opening speech, Professor Fatou SOW SARR, ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, emphasised the participatory and inclusive approach adopted by the ECGD, which opted for the second meeting of the regional programme coordination committees, involving all stakeholders to discuss the state of implementation of the programmes in the beneficiary Member States for the year 2023.

According to the Commissioner, this inclusive and participatory approach by the ECGD makes it possible to capitalise on good practice and to identify shortcomings in implementation at both Member State and ECOWAS level in order to improve good governance and transparency in the technical and financial management of the programmes.