1st West Africa Women Policy Forum - "Assessing the Gains, Advancing the Agenda"

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“Assessing the Gains, Advancing the Agenda”

1st West African Women’s Policy Forum

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11st West African Women’s Policy Forum - “Assessing the Gains, Advancing the Agenda”

December 2-3, 2008Holiday Inn Hotel, Accra-Ghana.

Rapporteur: Ms. Omolara T. Balogun1

1 Omolara T. Balogun is a “Next Generation” Intern at WACSI.



Policy Forum’s Report

2 1st West African Women’s Policy Forum - “Assessing the Gains, Advancing the Agenda”

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations .……………………………………….……........................................................5About the Partners .................................…............................................................………............….....................…....6Executive Summary .....................................................................................................................……….......................81.0 Introduction …........................................................................…………............................................….…....111.1 Aims and Objectives of the Forum ...................................................……….....................................…….…..111.2 !emes of the Forum ...............……....................................………………........................................….…..112.0 A Review of the “Status of Women’s Leadership in West Africa” ...............….................................................. 113.0 Tracking Progress and Challenges in Women’s Policy In"uencing ...................................................................15 3.1 Drug Tra#cking ............…............................................................................................................... 15 3.2 Sub-regional Integration, Migration and Free movement of people ..................................................16 3.3 Peace and Security ...............................................................................................................................174.0 !e Prospects of linking policy and practice in West Africa ……….................................................……....…195.0 Revisiting Women’s Networking and Collaboration in West Africa ......................………..................…….216.0 Succession Planning in Women’s Leadership …............................................................................................. 22 6.1 A case study of the “Liberian Young Girls transformative Leaders Project” .....................................22 6.2 Enhancing Young Girls Leadership in Nigeria: KIND’s Experience ..............................................237.0 Establishing regional and international linkages ……................………..........................................................248.0 Designing Regional Strategy for Women’s Policy in"uencing …...............................................…..................259.0 Conclusion ………….........................................................................................................……...............2510.0 Policy Recommendations …............................................................................................................................26 APPENDICES Appendix 1: List of Participants ……..................................................................................…..................................29Appendix 2: Agenda …………......................................................................................……..................................31

Table of Contents


AWDF African Women’s Development FundCBOs Community Based OrganisationsCEDAW Convention for the Elimination of all form of Discrimination Against WomenCSOs Civil Society OrganisationsECOWAS Economic Community of West African StatesECPF ECOWAS Con"ict Prevention FrameworkFAS Femme Afrique SolidariteFGM Female Genital MutilationHIV/AIDS Human Immunode$ciency Virus / Acquired Immune De$ciency SyndromeIGAD Intergovernmental Authority for DevelopmentISIS WICCE ISIS Women’s International Cross Cultural ExchangeKIND Kudirat Initiative for DemocracyMDG Millennium Developmental GoalsMoU Memorandum of UnderstandingMRU Mano River UnionNGOs Non-Governmental OrganisationsOSIWA Open Society Initiative for West AfricaREC Regional Economic Community SADC Southern African Development CommunitySIHA Strategic Initiative for Horn of Africa WomenSWEP Sudanese Women Empowerment for PeaceUAF Urgent Action Fund UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for WomenUNSCR United Nations Security Council Resolution WACSI West Africa Civil Society InstituteWIPSEN-A Women Peace and Security Network-Africa

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations


About WACSI!e West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) was created by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) to reinforce the capacities of civil society in the region. !e Institute was established to bridge the institutional and operational gaps within civil society.

Vision: To strengthen civil society organisations as strategic partners for the promotion of democracy, good governance and national development in the sub-region.

Mission: !e objective of the Institute is to strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of CSOs in the formulation of policies, the implementation and promotion of democratic values and principles in West Africa. !e role of WACSI is to serve as a resource centre for training, research, experience sharing and political dialogue for CSOs in West Africa. !e Institute makes its plea through policy dialogue to discuss current issues a%ecting West African States. Reference documents are regularly published by the Institute and disseminated to political leaders/policy makers.

Website: www.wacsi.org

About WIPSEN-Africa!e Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa) was established on 8th May, 2006 under the laws of the Republic of Ghana as a Pan-African Non-Governmental Peacebuilding Organisation with a focus on women, peace and security broadly de$ned. WIPSEN-Africa is women-focused, women-led organisation that seeks to promote women’s strategic participation and leadership in peace and security governance.

Vision: WIPSEN-Africa envisions a violence free, non-discriminatory continent that fosters peaceful coexistence, equality, collective ownership and full participation of all, particularly women, in decision-making on peace and security.

Mission: WIPSEN-Africa’s mission is to institutionalise and mainstream women, peace and security by enhancing women’s leadership capacities and promoting constructive, innovative and collaborative approaches to non-violent transformation of con"icts, peacebuilding and human security in Africa.

Website: www.wipsen-africa.org

About OSI International Women’s Programme!e OSI International Women’s Programme was established by the Open Society Initiatives (OSI) as one of its inspiration to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, free and open societies, human rights and economic, legal and social reform.

Mission: !e mission of OSI IWP is to use grant-making and programmatic e%orts to promote and protect the rights of women and girls around the globe where the principles of good governance and respect for the rule of law are absent or destroyed because of con"ict.

About Partners


Goal: !e goal of OSI IWP is to be a catalyst for creating conditions in which women can take the lead in their own political, economic and social development and strengthening institutions that are responsive to and inclusive of women. IWP seeks to promote the advancement of women’s rights and gender equality in law and practice, and the empowerment of women to ensure participation in the democratic process as the foundations for achieving this goal. IWP’s work is guided by legal and normative frameworks and the realisation of these is the entry point for promoting gender equality, the advancement of women’s rights and women’s inclusion. IWP focuses its support around three main objectives: 1) Reducing discrimination and violence against women, 2) Strengthening women’s access to justice, 3) Increasing women’s role as decision-makers and leaders.

Website: www.soros.org/initiatives/women/about

About OSIWA!e Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) was created in December 2000 as part of the world network of 32 autonomous foundations founded and supported by George Soros. !ese non-pro$t-mak-ing foundations share in the commitment to work for an “open society”. Based on the principle that no one has monopoly of the truth, an open society recognises the di%erent points of view and always remains open to improvements.

In practice, open societies are characterised by the priority of law, democracy, respect of diversity and human rights, liberalisation of markets, information to the people and the dynamism of civil society.

Website: www.osiwa.org

About AWDFAfrican Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is a grant-making foundation which supports local, na-tional and regional organisations in Africa working towards women’s empowerment. AWDF through institutional capacity building and programme development seeks to build a culture of learning and partnerships within the African women’s movement.

!e vision of AWDF is for African women to live in a world in which there is social justice, equality and respect for women’s human rights. To this end, its mission is to mobilise $nancial resources to support local, national and regional initiatives led by women, which will lead to the achievement of this vision.

!e objective of AWDF are fundraising within and outside Africa, grant-making on an African-wide basis, communicating the work and achievements of African women’s organisations, providing technical assistance to grantees. AWDF has funded over 600 women organisations in 41 African countries.

Website: www.awdf.org


Executive Summaryest African women have gained relative visibility through their activism in the civil society sector on issues of governance, democracy, development, peace and security. However, the extent to which this activism in"uences or shapes policies across the region has not been measured and therefore di#cult to ascertain. Furthermore, in

comparison to their share of the population, women remain underrepresented in political spaces and very little is known about the causal e%ect of those women who enter into political spaces. !ere is also an evident disconnect between women in civil society and women in government further diminishing the potential collective leverage women can bring to policy processes. !is situation led the West Africa Civil Society Institute and the Women Peace and Security Network to initiate the establish-ment of the West Africa Women’s Forum in December 2008, as an annual space for women working in di%erent sectors in the region to deliberate and design strategies for enhancing women’s in"uence on policy processes and provide a conduit for improved collaboration among women’s groups.

!e 1st Forum titled “Assessing the gains, Advancing the Agenda” brought together over 50 women from three distinct sectors; women in civil society, women in government and women from the donor community. Participants were drawn primarily from West Africa, with representation from other parts of Africa and the world. Participants re"ected on women’s roles and participation in governance, development, peace and security in the region and to design concrete strategies for in"uencing and informing policy processes.

!e uniqueness of the Forum was that it provided a tactical space for cross section of women from di%erent $elds to reach consensus on topical issues facing women in West Africa.

!e central aim was to convene the 1st West African Women’s Policy Forum by creating a podium for women working in di%erent sectors to jointly deliberate on strategic topical issues a%ecting women in the region, such as the representation of women in governance, development and peace and security processes.

!e Forum had four (4) main objectives: Ƈ To establish a platform for women across West Africa to strategise on maximising e%orts towards in"uencing policies

on women’s issues; Ƈ To enhance collaboration between women in civil society and governments; Ƈ To serve as an annual re"ection space for a cross section of women in the region; and Ƈ To provide an avenue for West Africa women to form linkages with women working in other regions of the world.

A keynote address on the Forum theme was delivered by Hon. Vabah Gay"or, Minister of Gender and Development, Republic of Liberia.

!is address was supported by discussions on seven core themes: Ƈ Reviewing the “Status of Women’s Leadership in West Africa” Ƈ Tracking current issues a%ecting women

» Drug Tra!cking » Sub-regional integration , Migration and Free movement of people » Peace and Security

Ƈ !e Prospects of linking policy and practice in West Africa; Ƈ Revisiting women’s networking and collaboration in West Africa; Ƈ Succession Planning in Women’s Leadership; Ƈ Establishing Regional and International Linkages; and Ƈ Designing Regional Strategy for Women’s Policy in"uencing.


!e Policy Forum o%ered Sixteen (16) key policy recommendations to enhance the involvement of women in leadership and decision making processes across the region.

!e recommendations outlined below are directed at ECOWAS, National governments, and Civil society.

ECOWAS: Ƈ As the most progressive regional body on the continent, ECOWAS should increase the numbers of women in key

decision making positions at the Commission and other institutions. It is important that the African Union’s standard of gender parity be adopted at all levels;

Ƈ ECOWAS and in particular the Gender and Development Centre in Dakar and the Gender Unit at the Commis-sion should develop more inclusive ways of working with women’s groups to achieve the implementation of its pro-tocols and other policies. !e Centre should be a “rallying ground” for women in the region. For example, given the unique impact of migration on women, the Gender Centre should lead the process of placing women at the core of implementing the Protocol on Free Movement, Right of Residence and Establishment;

Ƈ First Ladies in West Africa through the auspices of the ECOWAS Gender Centre and national gender ministries should be targeted to become involved in policy formulation processes at national and regional levels;

Ƈ ECOWAS leaders should invest in strengthening the Gender and Development Centre in Dakar, to enable it play a more in"uential and constructive role in policy processes;

National Governments: Ƈ Governments should close the gap between signing and adopting instruments and implementation. !ere should be

more commitment by States to fully domesticate CEDAW, !e Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women, and the ECOWAS gender policy;

Ƈ Given the appallingly low representation of women at national decision making structures, governments in the region should recommit to ensuring a minimum 30 per cent of women at all levels of government;

Ƈ West African women in government positions should view women in civil society as allies and forge more strategic and interdependent relationships that will enhance women’s ability to in"uence policies;

Civil Society: Ƈ Women’s organisations should intensify their commitment to mentorship by creating opportunities for young girls to

participate and bene$t from training programmes, workshops, and leadership initiatives in order to facilitate continuity in women’s representation in decision making;

Ƈ Women in civil society should make overtures towards women in government and endeavor to provide technical assistance on issues that a%ect women in the region. A starting point should be for women in both sectors to work on the common cause of increasing the numerical representation of women at all levels of decision making;

Ƈ Women’s groups in civil society should increase their visibility within the sector and across the region by playing more critical roles in policy formulation processes. For example, women should become more vocal and visible in traditionally male sectors such as security, economic development and policy analysis;


Ƈ Women’s groups should enhance mechanisms for quality collaboration by maximising e%orts and reducing unhealthy competition and rivalry. A database of women’s initiatives outlining areas of specialisation should be developed to improve cooperation;

Joint Recommendations Ƈ !e forum recommended the formation of a “West Africa Women’s Advisory Panel” comprising of women in government,

civil society and the private sector to support the gender structures at ECOWAS and provide policy advice to national governments;

Ƈ Peace and security remains a high priority issue in West African countries, therefore, all actors should enhance e%orts to domesticate the implementation of related peace and security instruments such as the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820. !e processes of developing national action plans for Resolution 1325 should be accelerated in all countries. Lessons should be learned from Liberia’s experience of developing a national action plan on the Resolution;

Ƈ Given the male dominated state of the security sector in countries across West Africa, women’s advocacy on engendering the security sector should increase. !is advocacy should involve calling for institutional gender policies that guide the recruitment, retention and protection of women in the security sector;

Ƈ Women from all sectors should organise around upcoming elections in West Africa and become more engaged in pre and post electoral processes. Lessons on the roles Ghanaian women played in the country’s 2008 elections should be documented and shared in the region; and

Ƈ Finally, women should advocate for their visible inclusion in the implementation of the proposed ECOWAS vision 20/20 “ECOWAS of the People: Towards a Democratic and Prosperous Community”.

Ms. !elma EkiyorExecutive DirectorWACSI

WACSI and WIPSEN-Africa acknowledge and appreciate the support provided by the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), the International Women’s Programme of the Open Society Institute, the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and Abigail Disney, towards the 1st West African Women’s Policy Forum.


Hon. Vabah Gay!or (Minister of Gender and Development) - Liberia, giving the Keynote Address.

1.0 Introduction he West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) and Women Peace and Security Network, Africa (WIPSEN-Africa) with support from the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), the International Women’s Programme of the Open Society Institute, the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and Abigail Disney, organised the

1st Annual West African Women’s Policy Forum in December 2008, to inform, guide, in"uence and monitor policy formulation and implementation on issues that a%ect women in West Africa.

!e Forum provided a platform for women’s groups, associations, coalitions and women in government and other decision-making positions to re"ect on women’s roles and participation in governance, development, peace and security in the region and to design concrete strategies for in"uencing and informing policy processes.

!e uniqueness of the Forum was that it provided a tactical space for cross section of women from di%erent $elds to reach consensus on topical issues facing women in West Africa. It is envisaged that the Policy Forum will serve as an annual gathering of West African women given the "uid nature of the region’s policy environment.

!e overall goal for instituting this annual forum is to address the prevailing lack of strategy and chasm in women’s collaboration and broad based advocacy to in"uence policies in the region.

!e Forum brought together over 50 participants from West Africa including women’s groups, networks, women in government, gender machineries and ECOWAS. Women from other parts of the African continent and the world were also represented.

1.1 Aim and Objectives of the Forum!e central aim was to convene the 1st West African Women’s Policy Forum by creating a platform for women working in di%erent sectors to jointly deliberate on strategic topical issues a%ecting women in the region, such as the representation of women in governance, development and peace and security processes.


!e Forum had four (4) main objectives: Ƈ To establish a platform for women across West Africa to strategise on

maximising e%orts towards in"uencing policies on women’s issues; Ƈ To enhance collaboration between women in civil society and governments; Ƈ To serve as an annual re"ection space for a cross section of women in the region; and Ƈ To provide an avenue for West African women to form linkages with women

working in other regions of the world.

1.2 "emes of the Forum!e following seven (7) issues formed the basis of presentations and discussion at the forum:

Ƈ Reviewing the “Status of Women’s Leadership in West Africa” Ƈ Tracking current issues a%ecting women

» Drug Tra!cking » Sub-regional integration , Migration and Free movement of people » Peace and Security

Ƈ !e Prospects of linking policy and practice in West Africa; Ƈ Revisiting women’s networking and collaboration in West Africa; Ƈ Succession Planning in Women’s Leadership; Ƈ Establishing Regional and International Linkages; and Ƈ Designing Regional Strategy for Women’s Policy in"uencing.

2.0 Reviewing the “Status of Women’s Leadership in West Africa”

study commissioned by WACSI on the “Status of Women’s Leadership in West Africa” provided the foundation for discussing the prevailing leadership issues a%ecting women in West Africa. Speci$cally, the research examined women’s leadership in di%erent sectors of West African society and assessed how women have contributed to governance and

democratisation processes. !e contribution of women in the pre-colonial and colonial era and in contemporary West Africa was analysed to gauge the progress made over the decades. !e study also examined women’s approach and response to leadership in ‘public’ and ‘private’ spaces as well as their approach to succession planning. Four (4) West African countries were selected as case studies; Cote d’Ivoire being a country transitioning from protracted civil wars; Ghana and Senegal, for relative political stability in the process of democratisation; and Nigeria, for its size and geo-political signi$cance in the region.

Overall the study found that notwithstanding the existence of international mechanisms for gender equality such as the Conven-tion on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA)1, Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Right on the Rights of Women in Africa adopted in 2003 in Maputo, the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment adopted in Addis Ababa in 2004 and Millennium Development Goals,2 all of which the African States have committed to, inequality remains intractable in ECOWAS member states.

!e study provided statistical analysis of the number of women in leadership and political positions, particularly in national parliaments and key positions in Ministries and parastatals. !is analysis revealed that Senegal leads in women’s representation in parliament with 33 women out of 150 representatives in the lower house (i.e. 22%), and 46 women out of the 100 representatives in the upper house (46%), while Nigeria emerged as the lowest with 25 women out of 358 representatives (i.e. 7%) in the lower house, and 9 women out 109 (i.e. 8.30%) in the upper house.

1 In 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing, China. It is frequently referred to as the Beijing Conference. The Conference was the culmination of twenty years of work by the global women’s movement, and resulted in the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA). It Provides a framework on gender equality and empowerment of women in 12 critical areas of concern which are: poverty, education, health, violence, armed conflict, economic disparity, power sharing, institutions, human rights, mass media, environment and the girl-child.

2 MDG 3 Promote gender equality and empower women.


S/N Country

Lower Houses Upper House or Senate

Elections

Year

Number

of Seats

Women

Seats

% of

Women

Elections

Year

Number of

Seats

Women

Seats

% of

Women

1 Benin Mar. 2003 83 9 10.80% -- -- -- --

2 Burkina Faso May 2007 111 17 15.30% -- -- -- --

3 Cameroon Jul. 2007 180 25 13.90% -- -- -- --

4 Cape Verde Jan. 2006 72 13 18.10% -- -- -- --

5 Congo Jun. 2007 137 10 7.30% Aug. 2008 70 9 12.90%

6 Cote D’Ivoire Dec. 2000 203 18 8.90% -- -- -- --

7 Gabon Dec. 2001 120 20 16.70% Feb. 2003 91 14 15.80%

8 Gambia Jan. 2002 53 5 9.40% -- -- -- --

9 Ghana Dec. 2004 230 25 10.90% -- -- -- --

10 Guinea Jun. 2002 114 22 19.30% -- -- -- --

11 Guinea Bissau Mar. 2004 100 14 14.00% -- -- -- --

12 Liberia Oct. 2005 64 8 12.50% Oct. 2005 30 5 16.70%

13 Mali Jul. 2007 147 15 10.20% -- -- -- --

14 Niger Dec. 2004 113 14 12.40% -- -- -- --

15 Nigeria Apr. 2007 358 25 7.00% Apr. 2007 109 9 8.30%

16 Senegal Jun. 2007 150 33 22.00% Aug. 2007 100 46 40.00%

17 Sierra Leone Aug. 2007 121 16 13.20% -- -- -- --

18 Togo Oct. 2007 81 9 11.10% -- -- -- --

Country with highest % Country with lowest % Source: "e Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)

Table 1: List of women Parliamentarian in West Africa (October, 2008)

!e research highlighted several factors that impede women’s ascendancy to leadership positions. !ese include the perennial challenges of high illiteracy among women, cultural impediments, and poverty. Additional contem-porary challenges such as discord between women in government and those in civil society and the inability of women to relate to emerg-ing spaces that advocate for women’s leader-ship such as the African Feminist Forum also hinder progress in women’s leadership. Many women in West Africa are still hesitant to associate themselves with the notion of feminism3 limiting the potential for strategic alliance building.

!e study also revealed that though there has been a noticeable increase in the numbers of women in the executive branch of government, across West Africa women still $nd it di#cult to make gains in traditionally male dominated branches such as Ministries of $nance, interior and defence.

3 Feminism according to the African Feminist charter places patriarchal social relations structures and systems which are embedded in other oppressive and exploitative structures at the centre of analysis. While patriarchy is a system of male domination and authority which legitimises the oppression of women through political, social, economic, legal cultural, religious and military institutions. The main ideological task of feminism is to understand the system of patriarchy and to put an end to it politically. For more, See -The African Feminist Charter at http://www.africanfeministforum.org/v3/files/Charter_of_Feminist_Principles_for_African_Feminists.pdf accessed 28 April, 2009.

"e 1st West African Women’s Policy Forum participants during a plenary session


No Country Position Name Year

1. Liberia President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf 2007

2. The Gambia Vice-President Aisatou N'Jie Saidy 1997

3. Ghana Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Woode 2006

4. Ghana Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu 2009

5. The Gambia Secretary of State of Economy and Finance Margaret Keita 2005

6. Ghana Director Immigration services Madam Elizabeth Adjei 2007

7. Cape Verde Minister of Finances and Public Administration Cristina Duarte 2006

8. Cape Verde Minister of Economy and Competitiveness Fatima Maria Carvalho Fialho 2008

9. Guinea-Bissau Minister of Economy Helena Nosolini Embalo 2009

10. Senegal Minister of Defence Mame Madior Boye 2002

11. Liberia Minister of Finance Antoinette Sayeh 2006

12. Liberia Minister of Foreign Affairs Olubanke King-Akerele 2007

13. Sierra Leone Minister of Foreign Affairs Zainab Hawa Bangura 2007

14. Guinea-Bissau Minister of Foreign Affairs Adiato Diallo Nandigna 2009

15. Cape Verde Minister of Defence Cristina Fontes Lima 2006

Source: http://www.infoplease.com/world/leaders (Accessed on 28 February, 2009)

Table 2: A sample of some women in key government positions in West Africa

Furthermore, women continue to su%er from the consequences of historical marginalisation and exclusion from political processes. !e practices and structures of political parties have typically alienated women. !e cost-intensive nature of political campaigns and the requirement for political candidates to be absent from the home for extended periods of time make it almost impossible for women to combine their gender roles at homes with the requirements of successful campaigning. As a result, women have mostly resolved to supporting male candidates with expectations of getting political appointments. !e few women who emerge as "ag bearers for their political parties are exceptions rather than the norm. !e study found that where such candidates emerge, they are put under intense scrutiny and often have to consistently prove their worthiness as “good” women. !e fear of such scrutiny has discouraged more women from presenting themselves as leading candidates for political positions.

Some key $ndings from the research for the improve-ment of women’s leadership in West Africa are;

Ƈ Integration of gender issues and concerns into all government establishments, programmes and activities for equal participation and enablement of women in the developmental processes of their society;

Ƈ Facilitation of consultative processes and platforms between women leaders in government and civil society to consolidate the discourse on women unity while forging e%ective partnerships and alliances to advance women’s agenda in the sub-region; and(L-R) Hon. Bamba Massani (MP - Cote d’Ivoire); Dr. Esi Sutherland Addy (Board Member - WACSI)

and Hon. Jeneh Kandeh (Deputy Minister - Social Welfare, Gender and Children A#airs) - Sierra Leone


Ƈ Joint e%orts in building the capacity of women to in"uence and monitor policy formulation and implementation on issues that a%ect women, and intensify the e%ort to empower women with necessary information, skills and training that will contribute to a constructive transformative leadership.

3.0 Tracking Progress and Challenges in Women’s Policy Influencing!e forum identi$ed key issues requiring the attention of policy makers. !ese issues are of particular concern to women and call for women’s collective advocacy.

3.1 Drug Tra#cking Drug tra#cking is a major threat to West Africa’s development and security. A combination of porous borders, corruption and crime are contributing to making the region an epicenter for drug tra#cking. Women have become pawns and players in the drug trade as they are used to tra#c illicit drugs across borders. !ough a number of instruments exist to combat this problem such as the 1996 Political Declaration and Drug Control Action Plan on the Control of Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Tra#cking in Africa drafted and reviewed in 2002 at the 38th Ordinary Session of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) now African Union4, and the new 2007 ECOWAS framework, replacing the 1997 plan adopted at Praia, Cape Verde, the problem remains unabated. West African women need to extend their advocacy to addressing the problem of drug tra#cking from a gender perspective. It was noted that women made key contributions to raising awareness of the impact of human tra#cking on young women and girls and similar advocacy should target drug tra#cking.

Empirical studies need to be conducted to gauge the causal factors of this problem, the impact on communities across the sub-region and ongoing e%orts to address it. Such studies will provide information on how women’s collective advocacy can contribute to stopping this destructive trend.

Further, the forum proposed that, concerted support should be given to ECOWAS member states who are confronted with the scourge of drug tra#cking in accordance with the ECOWAS Strategic Vision adopted on June 15, 20075.

4 Mashaba, Mpho. Institute for Security Studies. Organised Crime and Corruption: Fighting the Problem Within the NEPAD Framework. See http://www.iss.co.za/index.php?link_id=28&slink_id=1185&link_type=12&slink_type=12&tmpl_id=3 accessed January 8, 2009.

5 ECOWAS Press Release N°:57/2007. Abuja, 15 June 2007. ECOWAS Leaders Adopt Strategic Vision for Regional Development. See http://news.ecowas.int/en/presseshow.php?nb=57&lang=en&annee=2007 accessed January 8, 2009.

Above: Ms. "elma Ekiyor (Executive Director - WACSI) Top right: Mme Khady Fall Tall (President - WAWA); and Ms. Ruth Ochieng (Executive Director - ISIS-WICCE) - Uganda Bottom right: Mme. Salimata Porquet (FIFEM) - Cote D’Ivoire


3.2 Sub-Regional Integration, Migration and Free Movement of People !e establishment of the Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS) in May 28 1975, following the signing of the Lagos Treaty by the 15 Member States6 anticipated development towards a sub-regional economic zone with clear objec-tives - to promote economic integration and stability in “all $elds of economic activity, particularly industry, transport, telecom-munications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and $nancial questions, social and cultural matters”. A key objective of the preamble to the Lagos Treaty is to remove obstacles to the free movement of goods, capital and people in the sub-region7 which is sine qua non to the attainment of sub-regional integration. In pursuit of this objective, ECOWAS member states adopted a Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and the Right of Residence and Establishment in 1979, thus placing the free intra-regional movement of persons and goods at the heart of the region’s integration process.

!ough signi$cant strides have been made to facilitate free movement of persons, the issue of migration remains a concern for the region. Migration and regional integration were identi$ed as key issues the West African Women’s Policy Forum should focus on. Historically, migration has been a way of life in West Africa and an essential tool in its integration process; breaking languages and colonial barriers8. !e region has experienced a variety of migrations, often caused by population pressure, poverty, political and related factors - poor national economies, environmental disasters and endemic con"icts.

Persons that migrate from and within the sub-region include temporary cross-border workers, female traders, farm labourers, professionals, clandestine workers and refugees. !ese migrants are essentially intra-regional and short term in response to the interdependent economies of neighbouring countries.

Women make up signi$cant proportion of migrants in West Africa; either as small-scale cross-border traders, or "eeing as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) or refugees. Migrant women include those moving to other countries, as well as internal migrants; who relocate in other parts of their own countries. Whilst many women accompany or join family members, increasing numbers of female migrants migrate on their own as the principal wage earners for their families. However, a signi$cant number are forced migrants, who have "ed persecution, environmental degradation, natural disasters and other situations that a%ect their habitat and livelihood.

6 The following countries comprises of the ECOWAS states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

7 See Article 2 (1) of ECOWAS Protocol of May 29, 1979 Relating to Free Movement of Persons, Residence and establishment See Article 2(d) (iii) of the 1993 Revised ECOWAS Treaty8 Bach, D.C (Ed) 1999 Regionalisation in Africa: Integration and Disintegration, London: James Currey publishers

Above: Dr. Sintiki Ugbe, (Director - Gender, Youth, Civil Society, Employment and Drug Control) - ECOWAS Commission. Top right: Yasmin Jusu-Sheri# (MARWOPNET) - Sierra Leone; Bunmi Dipo-Salami (Larens-Consult) - Nigeria. Bottom right: Ecoma Alaga (Programme Director - WIPSEN-Africa) - Ghana


Studies have shown that majority of people engaged in trade within the sub-region particularly, in the informal sector are women. Women are also known as key players in cross-border trade, and account for up to 90 percent of informal trade along the borders of West African states. Hence, women traders and entrepreneurs are key stakeholders playing signi$cant roles in the integration process.

In spite of women’s invaluable contributions towards regional integration and trade/economic growth in the sub-region, they often experience di#culties which undermine the potential of their activities and obstruct the development of cross-border trade and integration e%orts. !ese include9: the palpable roadblocks across frontiers, the lengthy and costly formalities at border posts, and corrupt o#cials. Women and children are also susceptible to tra#cking. For example, children from Togo, Nigeria, Mali, are taken to Cote d’Ivoire’s plantations and as domestic servants in Gabon. Women from Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, and Sierra Leone are exploited as sex workers in countries of the European Union in the so-called “Triangle of Shame” in the Niger/Chad/Nigeria border10.

!e ECOWAS Protocol on Free movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment is a powerful tool that can address the challenges of migration and movement in the region, if national governments commit to its implementation. Civil society actors across the region also have to pressurise governments and ECOWAS, as a body, to continue e%orts to improve integration.

3.3 Peace and SecurityWomen have made impressive gains in peace and security across West Africa. Groups such as MARWOPNET, WIPSEN-Africa, Femme Afrique Solidarite (FAS) have enhanced the participation of women in peace processes in the region. However, women remain largely absent in decision making spaces in the security sector. Studies show that only the Police and Army in most countries in the region have up to 18 percent of women in decision making while other security institutions such as Border Controls, Drug Control, Private Security Agencies, and Immigration Services have little or insigni$cant numbers of women in their leadership structures. Mainstreaming gender into all structures of governance particularly within security sector is highly imperative as sustainable peace will not be achieved without the full participation of women and men.

!e Forum’s participants stressed that women’s advocacy in peace and security should be targeted towards mainstreaming gender in the security sector. !e integration of gender issues can improve the e#ciency, professionalism and respect for human rights in security sector institutions. Gender mainstreaming initiatives can enhance the e%ectiveness of prevention and response to gender-based violence. It can also help to create a healthy and e#cient work environment by lowering internal rates of discrimination, harassment and violence.11

Instruments such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and United Nations Resolutions 1325 and 1820 have all provided frameworks for women to call for their representation in all aspects of peace and security. !is advocacy is yielding results in security sector reform processes in Liberia and Sierra Leone but needs to be extended to other countries in the region such as Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea Bissau.

In addition, the increase in recruitment, retention and advancement of women within the security sector is critical to reforming and enriching the sector as women provide special services that men are traditionally unable to. In the context of multidimensional peacekeeping operations, women contribute to screening of female ex-combatants; widening the net of intelligence gathering; performing the cordon and search of women; and assisting in the aftermath of sexual violence12. Women often have certain skills that are highly useful to security sector institutions. Research, speci$cally within the $eld of policing, has documented that female o#cers:

» are less likely to use excessive or deadly force or be involved in misconduct; » are more e#ective at defusing and de-escalating potentially violent situations; » receive more favourable evaluations and fewer citizens complain; and » report greater support for the principles of community policing13.

9 See http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/17/2/41400366.pdf accessed 17 April, 200910 http://www.gcim.org/attachements/RS8.pdf accessed 17 April, 200911 The road to gender equality in Af rica: Overview “The Africa Union commission”, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 6 July, 200412 United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Enhancing the Operational Impact of Peacekeeping Operations: Gender Balance in Military and Police Services

Deployed to UN Peacekeeping Missions. Background Paper. New York: UN DPKO Policy Dialogue, 28-29 March 2006.13 Kim Lonsway et al. Hiring & Retaining More Women: The Advantages to Law Enforcement Agencies. National Center for Women & Policing: 2003.


!e Forum highlighted that gender mainstreaming and increase in the participation of women within security sector surpasses operational bene$ts, it also ensures compliance with international norms, instruments and laws such as CEDAW (1979), the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (1993) and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). !ough Resolution 1325 does not speci$cally mention SSR, it calls for women’s “equal participation and full involvement in all e%orts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security.”

Women also have to engage regionally on the implementation of the ECOWAS Con"ict Prevention Framework (ECPF)14. !is engagement should include raising awareness of the framework among women’s groups and actors at all levels and ensuring that women participate in key processes such as con"ict early warning and response and formal mediation and negotiation processes.

14 The ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework is a regional mechanisms developed to guide the conceptualisation, implementation and evaluation of conflict prevention initia-tives in the ECOWAS Commission and Member States. The framework signifies conflict prevention mechanisms as an essential part of regional integration and development. For more see http://www.ecowas.int/publications/en/framework/ECPF_final.pdf accessed 28 April, 2009.

Ms. Leymah Gbowee (Executive Director - WIPSEN Africa) (L-R) Ms. Iheoma Obibi (Executive Director - Alliances for Africa) - Nigeria; Ms. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi (Executive Director - AWDF) - Ghana.

Left: A cross section of the Forum participants listening to presenters as they advocate their points. Top right: Zina Pierre (Washington Linkage Group) - USA; Gloria Steinem (Women’s Media Center) - USA Above right: Yvonne Moore (Executive Director - Daphne Foundation) -USA; Kanyere Eaton (Executive Director - "e Sister Fund) - USA.


4.0 Prospects of Linking Policy and Practice in West Africa

omen’s groups across West Africa continue to face challenges of linking their initiatives to policy change. One of the main causes of the gap between practice and policies on women’s issues is the disconnect between women in civil society and women in government. !is disconnect is partly responsible for challenges in domesticating inter-

national instruments such as CEDAW and the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in West African states.

Mutual suspicion and lack of trust has characterised the relationship and interaction between women in both sectors. On one hand, women in civil society criticise women in government for not representing their needs and issues, while women in gov-ernment accuse civil society of being ignorant of governance processes and often undermining their e%orts. !is lack of collaboration between women in both sectors has led to an underutilisation of the contributions each side can make to in"uencing policies. Civil society has information and technical expertise that can be essential in assisting women in government to formulate policies, and women in government are strategically positioned to guide civil society on where advocacy should be targeted.

!e Forum also considered the dearth of skills among parliamentarians in di%erent national governments as constituting another challenge to women’s ability to in"uence policies. Most female parliamentarians lack skills in gender analysis and are unable to formu-late legislation from a gender perspective. Furthermore, women in parliament $nd it di#cult to advocate speci$cally on women’s issues for fear of being ostracized within their political parties. !e result is that female parliamentarians often legislate along party lines, even in cases where such policies may be disadvantageous to women.

S/N Countries Date of signature

Date of receipt of the instrument of

R- ratification/A- accession or/ S- succession

1. Benin 11 Nov. 1981 12 Mar. 1992

2. Burkina Faso -- 14 Oct. 1987 – A

3. Cameroon 6 Jun. 1983 23 Aug. 1994 - A

4. Cape Verde -- 5 Dec. 1980 – A

5. Chad -- 9 Jun. 1995 – A

6. Cote d'Ivoire 17 Jul. 1980 18 Dec. 1995 – A

7. Gabon 17 Jul. 1980 21 Jan. 1983

8. Gambia 29 Jul. 1980 16 Apr. 1993

9. Ghana 17 Jul. 1980 2 Jan. 1986

10. Guinea 17 Jul. 1980 9 Aug. 1982

11. Guinea-Bissau 17 Jul. 1980 23 Aug. 1985

12. Liberia -- 17 Jul. 1984 – A

13. Mali 5 Feb. 1985 10 Sept. 1985

14. Niger -- 8 Oct. 1999 – A

15. Nigeria 23 Apr. 1984 13 Jun. 1985

16. Senegal 29 Jul. 1980 5 Feb. 1985

17. Sierra Leone 21 Sept. 1988 11 Nov. 1988

18. Togo -- 26 Sept. 1983 – A

Source: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/states.htm accessed 28 April, 2009.

Table 3: West African Countries which have signed/ratified or acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of all Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)


S/N Countries Date of signature

Date of Ratification/

Accession Date of Deposited

1. Benin 11 Feb. 2004 30 Sept. 2005 13 Oct. 2005

2. Burkina Faso 26 Feb. 2004 09 Jun. 2006 09 Aug.2006

3. Cameroon 25 Jul.2006 -- --

4. Cape Verde -- 21 Jun. 2005 22 Jul. 2005

5. Chad 06 Dec. 2004 -- --

6. Cote d'Ivoire 27 Feb. 2004 -- --

7. Gabon 27 Jan. 2005 -- --

8. Gambia 11 Sept. 2003 25 May 2005 06 Sept. 2005

9. Ghana 31 Oct. 2003 -- --

10. Guinea 16 Dec. 2003 -- --

11. Guinea-Bissau 08 Mar.2005 -- --

12. Liberia 16 Dec. 2003 -- --

13. Mali 09 Dec. 2003 13 Jan. 2005 03 Feb. 2005

14. Niger 06 Jul. 2004 -- --

15. Nigeria 16 Dec. 2003 16 Dec. 2004 18 Feb. 2005

16. Senegal 26 Dec. 2003 27 Dec. 2004 30 Jan. 2005

17. Sierra Leone 09 Dec. 2003 -- --

18. Togo 30 Dec. 2003 12 Oct. 2005 26 Oct. 2005

Table 4: West African countries which have signed/ratified or acceded to African Union convention on Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ on the Right of Women in Africa.

Sources: http://www.achpr.org/english/rati$cations/rati$cation_women%20protocol.pdf accessed 28 April, 2009

It was noted that the insigni$cant number of women represented in parliaments across the region was a major hurdle to wom-en’s ability to in"uence legislation. For example in Nigeria there are only 25 women out of 358 representatives in the lower house (i.e. 7%) and 9 out 109 representatives in the Upper house, as at the 2007 general election. !is under-representation is also evi-dent at the ECOWAS level. For example, at the ECOWAS Commission; there are only two (2) women serving as Commission-ers out of eight (8) Commissioners. Participants urged ECOWAS as the most progressive Regional Economic Community (REC) on the continent, to increase the numbers of women in key decision making positions. ECOWAS should also ensure that the Gender Development Centre is properly capacitated and supported to facilitate in-roads for women to in"uence regional policy processes.

!e minimal number of women in these spaces calls for more collaborations between government and civil society. Some organisa-tions such as the 50:50 group in Sierra Leone have tried to enhance collaboration between women in government and women in civil society organisations. However, such examples are the exception and not the norm in West Africa.


5.0 Revisiting Women’s Networking and Collaboration in West Africa

frican women have been mobilising on issues that a%ect their lives for decades. !is has provided them with knowl-edge, networks and tools that are useful in bringing about change in society. Women’s collective organising has been instrumental for a number of signi$cant shifts in democratisation processes in West Africa. For example, women were

central to the election of Africa’s $rst female President; Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia. In 2004, women in Ghana successfully developed the “Women’s Manifesto” as a political tool for negotiating with political parties. !e achievements recorded in developing the manifesto were gained through women’s networking and collaborations. Examples of the networks existing in the region include MARWOPNET, West Africa Women’s Association (WAWA), WIPSEN-A etc. However, the Forum acknowledged that these networks often work in isolation, thus, limiting their overall impact. WACSI developed a regional civil society directory which lists three hundred and twenty $ve (325)15 women’s groups and organisations operating in the region. !is accounts for an impressive number, however, the extent of collaboration and interaction between these groups is unknown.

A review of women’s coalitions, collaborations and networks that have been successful revealed that the successes were based on clear shared values, goals and commitment. Women networks and coalitions formed on speci$c issues working within a pre-determined timeframe have traditionally been more successful than women’s coalitions that metamorphose into organisations or formalised networks. !e challenges associated with the latter range from di#culties securing long term funding, leadership tensions and sustaining growth and momentum.

!e Forum noted that it was important to revive or strengthen existing networks to make them more relevant and adaptable to the needs of the region or countries while adhering to their respective mission and values. Furthermore, it is imperative that innovative platforms for collaboration are encouraged across the region, particularly on regional policy issues. !ese spaces should be sustained by shared values and a common sense of purpose whilst maintaining individual organisational identity. Participants envisaged this as one of the potential roles of the West African Women’s Policy Forum. !e meeting designated WACSI to create a database of women’s organisations working in the region to enable easier identi$cation of groups with similar missions, goals and constituencies thus fostering more strategic collaborations. Such strategic collaborations will reduce the prevalence of tensions amongst women’s groups and networks. Overlap and duplications of initiatives was cited as one of the reasons for tensions. !erefore, it is important that groups identify the individual strengths and comparative advantages within collaborations. Networking based on what each participating organisation can contribute to advance a common cause should be the goal of women’s collaborations in West Africa. !ere was consensus that continued polarisation among women undermines the overall impact women can make to policy in"uencing.

15 *This number is not exhaustive.

Hon. Bamba Massany (Parliamentarian, Cote D’Ivoire) Hon. Bernadette Lahai (Parliamentarian,Sierra Leone) Ms. Deweh Gray (President - Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia) - Liberia


6.0 Succession Planning in Women’s Leadership “A key issue relevant to the discourse of women capacity to in!uence policy in the long term is succession planning”

he Forum noted the existing gap between the current generation of women in leadership positions and the younger generation of potential leaders. !e deteriorating $nancial situation in Africa has caused most young girls to prioritise economic stability provided by jobs in the private sector such as banking and telecommunication over careers in the

not-for-pro$t sector, or speci$cally in the women’s movement. A continuation of this trend will result in a vacuum in the women’s movement if not addressed. Two case studies on how women are working to bridge this gap were presented at the forum.

Liberia is in the process of consolidating peace after a long and brutal civil war which led to the deaths, displacement and injury of thousands of Liberians. !e war was also responsible for destabilising the lives of children and young people. Many young people in the country have only experienced wars and have challenges envisioning productive lives in the country. !is is especially true of young girls who have faced various forms of abuse, abandonment and deprivation as a result of the war, leaving them traumatised, with low self esteem, and lacking basic educational skills (female literacy rate 37%). !e high number of teen-age pregnancy (according to UN report of 2001, Liberia rate among 10 highest in the world)1, prostitution, multiple sexual relationships, maternal mortality rate of 994 per 100,000 live births, and records also shows that 1-9 children die before "ve years in Liberia.

!rough its work in Liberia, WIPSEN-Africa realised that many young girls have cynical views of leader-ship and have no plans of striving for leaders spaces. !e organisation designed the “Transformative Lead-ers Project” to develop the skills and abilities of young girls to contribute to peacebuilding and community leadership.

!e project was implemented with the Ministry of Gender and Development and endorsed by President El-len Johnson Sirleaf. WIPSEN selected three counties; Bong, Bassa, Montserrado to launch the project and 150 students were nominated from 30 schools in the 3 Counties.

!e transformative leadership project was implemented in phases. In each phase the girls passed through a series of intense leadership training and mentorship processes. Girls from each county were asked to design community service projects to test the skills they had acquired. !e innovative projects designed include es-tablishing a reading room for other girls and instituting peer learning programmes in schools. !ese projects will remain as platforms for training more girls.

At the end of the project 20 girls graduated successfully and 5 were selected as “Girls of Distinction” for showing exemplary leadership qualities. !ese girls were presented to President Sirleaf at the International Women’s Colloquium in March 2009.

!e successful implementation of the Transformative Leaders project in these counties has led to the government of Liberia requesting WIPSEN to expand to other counties.

6.1 "e Liberian Young Girls Transformative Leaders Project

1 Source: See the United Nations Organisation at www.un.org


In Nigeria, though there are a plethora of women’s groups and the country has a strong history of women activism, women still struggle to penetrate decision-making spaces. Women’s access to leadership positions is constrained by several factors including traditional, religious and cultural attitudes which cause discrimina-tion. Furthermore not many quali$ed women aspire to lead in public spheres. !ere are less than 10 percent of women in political o#ces at federal, state levels, and as such, women’s overall leverage on policy in"uencing processes is weak.(See Table 2)

A number of credible women’s organisations have been working to enhance women’s representation in deci-sion making. !ey include; BAOBAB for Women Human’s Rights (BAOBAB), Alliance for Africa (AfA), Gender and Development Action (GADA). Nevertheless, the understandable focus on positioning women in decision making has led to less focus on building the capacity of girls as aspiring leaders. To address this gap, the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) designed a project that equips young girls with leadership skills.

KIND was established following the death of Kudirat Abiola, a leading democracy activist who was assassinated in 1996.1 In 1999, KIND opened its o#ce in Nigeria and instituted the “KIND’s Young Women’s Leadership Programme which provides training for young girls in democratic values and the importance of participat-ing in governance. In 2005, KIND built on the young women Leadership programme by o%ering “Kudra”, a leadership programme for Young Women in universities. !e target universities in the $rst three years of Kudra were in Lagos, Bornu and Cross Rivers States.

!e programme develops and promotes a new generation of female leaders to serve in their communities and participate e%ectively in democracy in Nigeria. KIND currently serves 3,250 young women in $ve (5) Nigerian universities2. !rough these initiatives, KIND has been able to increase the interest of young girls in leadership, and governance towards building a caliber of potential leaders.

Additionally, KIND is committed to building the skills and con$dence of young women to patriarchal stereo-types. !rough the “Empower” project the organisation has been able to train and build the capacity of 100 young university women in Ogun State, Nigeria, funded 5 established youth networks (“KIND Clubs”) in 5 other universities (Cross River, Lagos, Plateau, Anambra and Borno States), and an internship programme. !e trainings are intended to develop the young women’s leadership skills, provide information on sexual and reproductive health and rights; build negotiation and communication skills; and strengthen capacities for career planning, $nancial management, entrepreneurship and advocacy.

1 Source: http://www.kind.org/ accessed 17 April, 20092 Source: http://www.kind.org/files/2004_annual_report.pdf accessed 17 April, 2009

6.2 Enhancing Young Girls Leadership in Nigeria: KIND’s Experience

!ese two case studies from Liberia and Nigeria illustrate the importance of developing policies and programmes that build the leadership potential of young girls. !e Forum was urged to provide opportunities for young girls and women to partici-pate in subsequent meetings. Women’s groups working across the region were also encouraged to include initiatives for girls in their programme strategy, particularly in areas of advocacy, leadership and governance.


7.0 Establishing Regional and International Linkageselegates stressed the importance of the proposed West Africa Women’s Forum in forging linkages with women’s initiatives and groups across the continent and in other parts of the world. !ough West Africa’s policy environment is peculiar, the challenges facing women’s ability to in"uence policies are global. Women in other parts of Africa have

a lot to learn from West Africa women’s agency and it is paramount that the Women’s Forum makes attempts to build alliances with other women’s groups on the continent. !e continent is rich with examples of groups working through alliances to bring about policy changes that favour women and these experiences can be shared. It will also be important for the Forum to work closely with active networks such as ISIS WICCE (ISIS Women’s International Cross Cultural Exchange), SWEP (Sudanese Women Empowerment for Peace), NESI Network, SIHA (Strategic Initiative for Horn of Africa Women), African Women Development Communication Network (FEMNET) who have wide memberships and can incorporate more voices into the Forum’s discussions.

!e Forum and these networks should seek ways of cooperating with regional bodies such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Southern African Development Community (SADC), ECOWAS and AU on national issues with continental rami$cations such as Zimbabwe’s political tensions, the con"ict in DRC, and military coups in Guinea Bissau and Republic of Guinea. Strong linkages across regions have the potential of exerting necessary pressure on regional bodies to move from policy rhetoric to action.

Top: (L-R) Hon. Vabah Gay%or (Minister of Gender ) - Liberia, Dr. Helen Scalon (Gender Program Coord. - ICTJ); Rosalie Lo Ndiaye (Board Member - WIPSEN Africa)Above left: Sitting L-R: Gloria Steinem, Dorcas Coker-Appiah, Deweh Gray and Abigail Disney exchanging ideas in a group discussion. Above right: Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi (Executive Director - AWDF) - Ghana


8.0 Designing Regional Strategy for Women’s Policy Influencing

he Forum deliberated on the need to develop an informed strategy for women’s groups to e%ectively in"uence national and regional policy processes in West Africa. Such strategy should consist of guidelines for enhancing women’s collaborations at various levels in the region and avenues for cross-fertilisation of knowledge and skills.

Speci$cally, the Forum stressed the need for a targeted strategy for engaging at the regional level, particularly with the ECOWAS Gender and Development Centre (EGDC)16 in Dakar, Senegal. !e Centre should become a convening platform for women to in"uence the policies and practices of ECOWAS. !erefore proactive measures to support the Centre are required. !e Centre also needs to popularise its activities and provide opportunities for a broader base of women’s groups to work with it.

Participants also stressed that, overall, women’s groups lack the requisite advocacy skills to engage policymakers. !erefore, the strategy should contain a strong component on capacity building; particularly in policy writing, presentation skills, coalition building and documentation.

!e strategy should identify “champions” or “drivers” who will keep it focused and maintain the momentum. It is important that the regional strategy examines and addresses continental and international issues that a%ect women and the implementation of international instruments that promote women’s human rights.

Highlighting the di#culties in in"uencing policies, participants urged that the regional strategy should involve women in gov-ernment and civil society working together on key issues a%ecting the region. Modalities for that collaboration should be a focus area of future Policy Forums.

9.0 Conclusionest Africa is on a promising trajectory towards consolidating regional integration, democracy, good governance, peace and development. However, there are a number of challenges still facing the region ranging from unemployment, political tensions in some countries, heightened drug and human tra#cking and economic crisis.

!e task of addressing these challenges requires the collective e%orts of all segments of West African societies. However, women remain largely absent or unrepresented from decision making spaces where policies are formulated and as a result are often adversely a%ected by the implementation of such policies.

!e 1st West African Women’s Policy Forum was organised in recognition of this gap in policy processes. !e Forum provided a platform for a cross section of women from government and civil society to deliberate on the issues facing the region and on how to reposition women in the policy environment. !e meeting rea#rmed the importance of women’s collaborating to in"uence policies that a%ect the lives and rights of women at all levels in the region. !e high participation of government and civil society underscored the recognition by both sectors of the need to identify more functional avenues for collaboration and interaction. !e consensus at the Forum was that “we need each other” and commitments were made to build trust and interactions between women in civil society and government.

A key outcome of the Forum was the nomination of a group of women to serve as an ‘Advisory Panel’ to the Forum to guide engagements with policy makers. !e conveners of the 1st Forum; WACSI and WIPSEN-Africa were mandated to lead the process of organising future forums. However, it was stressed that the role played by these organisations would only be facilitating the process.

16 The EGDC was established in January 2003 at the 26th Session of the Heads of State and Government held in Dakar, Senegal where its headquarters is based. It is also a product of the ECOWAS Gender Policy. The Centre also works in conjunction with member states as well as sub-regional and international bodies to advance gender equity and women empowerment, as part of efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For more see http://allafrica.com/stories/200710030627.html accessed 28 April, 2009


10.0 Policy Recommendations!e 1st West African Women’s Policy Forum that held in Accra, Ghana on December 2 - 3, 2008 o%ered Sixteen (16) key policy recommendations to enhance the involvement of women in leadership and decision making processes across the region.

!e recommendations outlined below are directed at ECOWAS, National governments, and Civil society.

ECOWAS: Ƈ As the most progressive regional body on the continent, ECOWAS should increase the numbers of women in key

decision making positions at the Commission and other institutions. It is important that the African Union’s standard of gender parity be adopted at all levels;

Ƈ ECOWAS and in particular the Gender and Development Centre in Dakar and the Gender Unit at the Commission should develop more inclusive ways of working with women’s groups to achieve the implementation of its protocols and other policies. !e Centre should be a “rallying ground” for women in the region. For example, given the unique impact of migration on women, the Gender Centre should lead the process of placing women at the core of imple-menting the Protocol on Free Movement, Right of Residence and Establishment;

Ƈ First Ladies in West Africa through the auspices of the ECOWAS Gender Centre and national gender ministries should be targeted to become involved in policy formulation processes at national and regional levels;

Ƈ ECOWAS leaders should invest in strengthening the Gender and Development Centre in Dakar, to enable it play a more in"uential and constructive role in policy processes;

National Governments: Ƈ Governments should close the gap between signing and adopting instruments and implementation. !ere should be

more commitment by States to fully domesticate CEDAW, !e Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women, and the ECOWAS gender policy;

Ƈ Given the appallingly low representation of women at national decision making structures, governments in the region should recommit to ensuring a minimum 30 per cent of women at all levels of government;

Ƈ West African women in government positions should view women in civil society as allies and forge more strategic and interdependent relationships that will enhance women’s ability to in"uence policies;

Civil Society: Ƈ Women’s organisations should intensify their commitment to mentorship by creating opportunities for young girls to

participate and bene$t from training programmes, workshops, and leadership initiatives in order to facilitate continuity in women’s representation in decision making;

Ƈ Women in civil society should make overtures towards women in government and endeavor to provide technical as-sistance on issues that a%ect women in the region. A starting point should be for women in both sectors to work on the common cause of increasing the numerical representation of women at all levels of decision making;


Ƈ Women’s groups in civil society should increase their visibility within the sector and across the region by playing more critical roles in policy formulation processes. For example, women should become more vocal and visible in tradition-ally male sectors such as security, economic development and policy analysis;

Ƈ Women’s groups should enhance mechanisms for quality collaboration by maximising e%orts and reducing unhealthy competition and rivalry. A database of women’s initiatives outlining areas of specialisation should be developed to improve cooperation;

Joint Recommendations Ƈ !e forum recommended the formation of a “West Africa Women’s Advisory Panel” comprising of women in government,

civil society and the private sector to support the gender structures at ECOWAS and provide policy advice to national governments;

Ƈ Peace and security remains a high priority issue in West African countries, therefore, all actors should enhance e%orts to domesticate the implementation of related peace and security instruments such as the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820. !e processes of developing national action plans for Resolution 1325 should be accelerated in all countries. Lessons should be learned from Liberia’s experience of developing a national action plan on the Resolution;

Ƈ Given the male dominated state of the security sector in countries across West Africa, women’s advocacy on engender-ing the security sector should increase. !is advocacy should involve calling for institutional gender policies that guide the recruitment, retention and protection of women in the security sector;

Ƈ Women from all sectors should organise around upcoming elections in West Africa and become more engaged in pre and post electoral processes. Lessons on the roles Ghanaian women played in the country’s 2008 elections should be documented and shared in the region; and

Ƈ Finally, women should advocate for their visible inclusion in the implementation of the proposed ECOWAS vision 20/20 “ECOWAS of the People: Towards a Democratic and Prosperous Community”.


Funmi Alexander Balogun (IPPF ) - Kenya

(L-R) Salimata "iam (Head, Policy and Programmes - ECOWAS Gender and Development Centre); Abla William (Deputy Commissioner - BIN) - Liberia

(L-R) Cornellie Ayite (Director - Magazine le Fleuron et Ass. Pour Un Devt. des Initia-tives Feminines); Dorothée Ebina Mumbambi (Centre d’Actions et d’Aide au Developpement) - Togo

Abigail Disney (President - Daphne Foundation) - USA (L-R) Yvette Chesson-Wureh (Manager - International Women’s Colloquium) - Liberia; Ms. Sindi M. Gould (Executive Director - BAOBAB) - Nigeria

Ruth Ochieng (Executive Director - ISIS-WICCE) - Uganda


S/N Names Department

1. Hon. Vabah Gayflor Ministry of Gender and Development, Liberia

2. Hon. Jeneh Kandeh Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, Sierra Leone

3. Hon. Bernadette Lahai Sierra Leone Parliament

4. Hon. Bamba Massany Cote d’Ivoire Parliament

5. Cecilia Kaikai Prisons Service Sierra Leone

6. Cllr. Abla G. Williams Immigration Services, Liberia

7. Julia Duncan-Cassell Superintendent Liberia

8. Mariam Tackie Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Ghana

9. Salimata Thiam ECOWAS (EGDC), Senegal

10. Barkie N. Remoe-Doherty Sierra Leone High Commission in Accra

11. Dr. Sintiki Ugbe ECOWAS Commission, Nigeria

S/N Names Organisations/Institutions

1. Abigail Disney Daphne Foundation, USA

2. Adjoa Bame WISE, Ghana

3. Bernice Sam WILDAF-Ghana

4. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi African Women’s Development Fund – AWDF, Ghana

5. Cllr. Yvette Chesson Wureh International Secretariat of the Women’s Colloquium, Liberia

6. Cornellie Ayite Magazine le Fleuron et Ass. Pour un Devt. des Initiatives Feminines

7. Deweh Gray Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL)

8. Dipo-Salami Olubunmi M. La-Rens Consulting, Nigeria

9. Dorcas Coker-Appiah Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre, Ghana

10. Dr. Achola Okeyo Mantha Foundation

11. Dr. Rose Mensah Kutin Abantu for Development, Ghana

12. Dr. Esi Sutherland Addy WACSI, Ghana

13. Dr. Nematta Majeks-Walker 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone

14. Gloria Steinem Women’s Media Center, USA

15. Hadja Ramatoulaye Sow Association des Femmes Entrepreneurs de Guinee (AFEG), Guinea

16. Dr. Helen Scanlon ICTJ, South Africa

17. Hon. Khady Fall Tall AFAO-WAWA, Senegal

18. Iheoma Obibi Alliances for Africa, Nigeria

19. Irene S. Jayee Liberia Refugee Women Organisation (LIREWO)

20. Kanyere Eaton The Sister Fund, USA

21. Marlène Seïdou Babio Assoc. des Femmes de l’Education du Benin (FAWE), Benin

22. Dorothée Ebina Mumbambi Centre d’Actions et d’Aide au Developpement (CAAD), Togo

23. Zina Pierre Washington Linkage Group, USA

24. Nuala Lawlor Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Ghana

25. Olufunmilayo A. Balogun International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Kenya

List of Participants at the 1st West African Women’s Policy Forum: “Assessing the Gains, Advancing the Agenda” December 2 – 3, 2008

APPENDIX 1

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

CIVIL SOCIETY ACTORS


S/N Names Organisations/Institutions

26. Patricia Formadi Women and Development Project (WADEP)

27. Rosalie Lo Ndiaye WIPSEN-Africa

28. Ruth Ojiambo Ochieng ISIS WICCE, Uganda

29. Salimata Porquet (FEFEEDES – CI) & FIFEM & ECOSOCC

30. Sindi Medar Gould Baobab for Women’s Human Rights, Nigeria

31. Susanne Jambu Namatovu NESI Network (New Indigenous Sudanese NGO), Sudan

32. Tatey Adzoavi Nyuito Association de Femmes Pour la Santeetle Devt. (ALAFIA)

33. Wynyfred Onung Achu Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND), Nigeria

34. Yasmin Jusu-Sheriff MARWOPNET, Sierra Leone

35. Yvonne Moore Daphne Foundation, USA

36. Blanche Selmah WIPSEN-Africa, Liberia

37. Leymah Gbowee WIPSEN-Africa, Ghana

38. Ecoma Alaga WIPSEN-Africa, Ghana

39. Ducloux Amelien WIPSEN-Africa, Ghana

40. Christabel Nortey WIPSEN-Africa, Ghana

41. Vivian Armah WIPSEN-Africa, Ghana

42. Geraldine Graindorge WIPSEN-Africa, Ghana

43. Thelma Ekiyor WACSI, Ghana

44. Adama Sira Bah WACSI, Ghana

45. Omolara T. Balogun WACSI, Ghana

46. Katherine Adarkwa WACSI, Ghana

47. Lady Willie Harry WACSI, Ghana

48. Jenny Alu WACSI/WACSOF

Susanne Jambu Namatovu (NESI Network) - Kenya Participants at the 1st West African Women’s Policy Forum are exercising after a long day of deliberation


APPENDIX 2 - FORUM AGENDADay 1 OPENING SESSION

Chair: Dr. Esi Sutherland Addy, Board Member, WACSI

9.00 – 9.30 Welcome Address

Leymah Gbowee, Executive Director, WIPSEN Africa "elma Ekiyor, Executive Director, WACSI

9.30 – 10.00 Keynote Address: Hon. Vabah Gayflor, Minister for Gender and Development - Liberia 10.00-10.45 Goodwill Message: Hon. Jeneh Kandeh, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s A%airs - Sierra Leone Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Executive Director of AWDF, Ghana Abigail Disney, Daphne Foundation, USA 10.45–11.00 Tea/Coffee

11.00–11.30 SESSION 1: Reviewing the “Status of Women’s Leadership in West Africa” Chair: Dorcas Coker-Appiah, Board Member, WIPSEN Africa

“Key findings on “the status of women’s leadership in West Africa” Presenter: Bunmi Dipo-Salami, WACSI Consultant/Lead Researcher 11.30-12.30 SESSION 2: Tracking progress and challenges in women’s peace and security Chair: Dr. Sintiki Ugbe, ECOWAS Director, Gender, Youth, Civil Society, Employment, Drug Control- ECOWAS.

Presenters: Yasmin Jusu-Sheri$, MARWOPNET – Sierra Leone Ecoma Alaga, WIPSEN-Africa, Ghana Mme. Salimata Porquet, Activist, Cote d’Ivoire

12.30-1.30 SESSION 3: Prospects of linking policy and practice in women’s peace and security Chair: Bisi Adeleye Fayemi, Executive Director, AWDF, Ghana

Presenters: Salimata "iam, ECOWAS Gender and Development Centre, Senegal Bernadette Lahai, Parliamentarian, Sierra Leone Iheoma Obibi, Executive Director, Alliances for Africa, Nigeria Hon. Bamba Massany, Parliamentarian, Cote D’Ivoire

1.30-2.30 Lunch


2.30 – 3.30 SESSION 4: Succession Planning in Women’s Leadership Chair: Hon. Jeneh Kandeh, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s A%airs, Sierra Leone

Presenters: Leymah Gbowee, WIPSEN-Africa: “The Liberian Young Girls Transformative Leaders Project” Wynyfred Onung Achu, Donor Development O#cer KIND: “Enhancing Young Girls Leadership in Nigeria – KIND’s Experience”

3.30 – 4.30: SESSION 5: Presentation and Discussion on the 2009 International Women’s Colloquium Chair: "elma Ekiyor, Executive Director WACSI.

Presenters: Cllr. Yvette Chesson-Wureh, Coordinator of the International Secretariat of the Women’s Leadership Colloquium.

6.30 Welcome Cocktail: Documentary Viewing: “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” Chair: Kanyere Eaton, Sister Fund. USA

Presenters: Abigail Disney, Daphne Foundation, USA Leymah Gbowee, WIPSEN-Africa, Ghana.

End of day 1


Day 2:

9.00 – 10.30: 10.30–11.00 Tea/Coffee

11.30–12.45 SESSION 7: Establishing regional and international linkages Chair: Abigail Disney, Daphne Foundation, USA.

Susanne Jambu Namatovu, Nairobi, Kenya. Ruth Ojiambo Ochieng, ISIS WICCE, Uganda. Gloria Steinem, USA. Zina Pierre, USA.

12.45 – 1.45 SESSIONS 8: Documentary Viewing Chair: Deweh Gray President, Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL), Liberia Presenter: Ruth Ojiambo Ochieng, ISIS WICCE, Uganda

1.45–2.45 Lunch

2.45–3.45 SESSION 9: Designing Regional Strategy for Women’s Policy influencing Chair: Olufunmilayo Alexander Balogun, Gender Advisor International Planned Parenthood Federation. Facilitators: Group 1: Dr. Helen Scanlon, ICTJ, South Africa: Research and Documentation Group 2: Sindi Eldora Gould, Executive Director, BAOBAB: Training and Capacity Building Group 3: Yvonne Moore, Executive Director Daphne Foundation, USA: Mobilising resources to support women’s policy advocacy Group 4: Rosalie Lo Ndiaye, Board member, WIPSEN Africa: Joint Policy Initiatives between CSOs and Government

3.45–4.30 Group Presentations/Discussions

5.00 Way Forward

End of Forum


Notes

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1st West Africa Women Policy Forum - "Assessing the Gains, Advancing the Agenda"