The ECOWAS Commission has called for bold electoral reforms across West Africa to ensure equal political participation for women and young people, setting an ambitious target of achieving 50/50 gender parity in elective positions by 2035.

Speaking at the opening of the ECOWAS Regional Consultation on Political Participation and Leadership of Women and Youth in Accra on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the Director of the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre, Sandra Oulaté Fattouh, revealed that women currently occupy just 18.4 per cent of parliamentary seats across the sub-region.

She cited findings from a 2024 ECOWAS study on gender inequalities, which also showed that young people under the age of 35 remain significantly underrepresented in legislative assemblies.

According to her, the statistics expose a troubling paradox despite numerous initiatives by member states to promote inclusive political participation.

“This dismal situation of women and young people in the political space of our region raises the urgency of finding consensual and innovative solutions for the effective participation of women in political life as stipulated in the spirit of Vision 2050,” she said.

The four-day consultation, running from 17 to 20 February, is being organised by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in collaboration with the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre.

The meeting has brought together policymakers, gender experts, youth leaders and development partners from across West Africa to assess progress, identify persistent barriers and develop practical recommendations to strengthen inclusive governance.

Proceedings on the first day included the election of members of the Bureau and the adoption of the meeting agenda.

The consultation coincides with the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS, founded on 28 May 1975 to deepen human, economic, social and cultural integration in the sub-region.

Ms Fattouh said the gathering seeks to develop a harmonised normative framework that would move the region beyond symbolic quota systems towards a legally binding parity regime.

The proposed framework aims to institutionalise equal representation requirements in both national parliaments and local government structures by 2035.

She reaffirmed ECOWAS’ commitment to advancing women’s and youth political participation and thanked the Government of Ghana for hosting the high-level meeting.

On behalf of the sector minister, the Chief Director of the Ministry, Dr Afisah Zakariah, said the Government was systematically advancing its RESET agenda across all sectors to remove barriers that hinder the full participation of women and young people in national development.

She explained that the RESET agenda is being deliberately pursued to address structural, institutional, financial and social obstacles that continue to limit inclusive governance.

That, she said, was “evident,” in the historic appointment of the country’s female Vice-President and the increasing inclusion of women and young people in key decision-making roles.

Dr Zakariah added that under President John Dramani Mahama, Ghana is aligning national priorities with global and regional frameworks, including the Sustainable Development Goals — particularly Goals 5 and 16 — the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the ECOWAS Gender Policy.

In an interview on the sidelines of the event, Ruben K.D. Johnson, Senior Adviser to the Vice-President of the Commission and Programme Coordinator for Human Capital Development, called for renewed and coordinated efforts to close the persistent gender gap in political and economic participation across West Africa.

He noted that gender equality remains one of the bloc’s key priority areas and stressed that effective human capital development cannot be achieved without the full participation of women and young people.

According to him, the joint initiative with the Gender Development Centre aims to review past interventions, identify gaps and set a clearer direction for the next 50 years of gender parity work in the sub-region.

Responding to questions on existing challenges, Mr Johnson acknowledged that while many member states have enacted gender-related laws and policies, implementation remains inconsistent.

“There are many lapses. At the political level, all the laws in some countries have been enacted, but the reality is something else.”

He emphasised that although ECOWAS cannot impose policies on sovereign states, the Commission can provide guidance frameworks to encourage decision-makers to accelerate progress towards genuine parity.