On Thursday 25 June 2015 in Ouagadougou, thirty Burkinabè, including 22 women and 8 men, were awarded certificates at the end of a three-day training organised by the ECOWAS Commission’s Gender Directorate in conjunction with Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Women Promotion and Gender, and with support from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).

The training began on Tuesday 23 June 2015, with participants drawn mainly from civil society, political parties, the media, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), along with Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Women Promotion and Gender.

For three days, under the supervision of the BRIDGE methodology’s facilitators (Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections), the participants enhanced their knowledge of the electoral cycle, gained a better grasp of the importance of women’s participation in electoral processes, and identified their role in holding peaceful elections.

The purpose of the training was to enhance women’s participation in inclusive and peaceful elections in Burkina Faso.

Its main theme was «Gender and Elections, challenges and prospects for fair representation of women and men in electoral processes», comprising 24 modules.

The modules mainly revolved around the electoral cycle, identification of the role and responsibilities of stakeholders in the electoral process, electoral security and women’s role in the prevention and peaceful resolution of electoral disputes, and strategies to enhance women’s representation and participation in politics in Burkina Faso.

At the end of the training, the participants made a strong commitment to share their knowledge with other socio-professional groups in Burkina Faso and create a network to enhance and promote women’s political rights and participation in political governance.

They expressed appreciation to the ECOWAS Commission for its commitment and support to West African women, and to the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Women Promotion and Gender, for their support in organising the training.

During the closing ceremony, on behalf of Burkina Faso’s Minister of Women Promotion and Gender, Mrs. Bibiane Ouédraogo Boni, the Permanent Secretary of the National Council for the Promotion of Gender, David BEYI, commended the recipients for their availability, active participation and diligence, which ensured the success of the training.

On her part, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Gender and Social Affairs, Dr. Fatimata Dia Sow, represented by the Director of Gender, Dr. Sintiki Tarfa Ugbe, expressed gratitude to the Burkinabè government for its cooperation and the facilities placed at their disposal to ensure the success of the training.

Shortly before the closing session, the ECOWAS Commission’s delegation led by Dr. Sintiki was granted audience by Burkina Faso’s Minister of Women Promotion and Gender, Mrs. Bibiane Ouédraogo Boni.

She took the opportunity to reiterate her appreciation to the regional organisation for its continued support to Burkina Faso’s development and its commitment to work towards the promotion of women’s political rights in the Community.

Mrs. Boni welcomed the timeliness of the training in view of the upcoming legislative and presidential elections in her country.

It is worth noting that this capacity building session forms part of the training programme developed for 5 ECOWAS Member States holding elections in 2015, particularly Nigeria and Togo (that have already organised their elections), Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea, where elections are due by the end of the year.