ECOWAS Meets to Boost Women, Youth Political Participation

Current Affairs

Els: MBN360

Experts from ECOWAS Member States are meeting in Accra from 17 to 18 February 2026 to discuss ways to increase the political participation and leadership of women and young people in West Africa.

The meeting brings together gender specialists and focal persons from the Human Capital Development (HCD) programme.

The experts aim to encourage West African countries to adopt the necessary legislative reforms to ensure effective political participation and leadership of women and young people by 2035.

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The technical meeting will be followed by a Ministerial Meeting and High-Level Advocacy on 19 and 20 February 2026, respectively.

The consultation is part of ECOWAS’ 50th anniversary celebrations under the ‘Legacy Project’, a commemorative initiative focused on gender parity in elected bodies across member states between 2025 and 2035.

The project is supported by several ECOWAS departments and institutions, including the Office of the Vice-President, the Departments of Social Affairs and Political Affairs, the ECOWAS Court of Justice, and the ECOWAS Parliament.