Abuja March 8, 2017. On the International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated on the 8^th of March every year, ECOWAS implores women to challenge all forms of gender bias and inequality, campaign against violence, forge women’s advancement, celebrate women’s achievements and champion women’s education!

Drawing from the global text, the ECOWAS theme for the IWD celebration, 2017 is: Be Bold for Change in the Context of Institutional Reform

The vision of ECOWAS in this celebration is for the women of the region to help bring about an ECOWAS of people where the population will have access to its abundant resources and is able to exploit through the creation of opportunities under a sustainable environment.

ECOWAS wants an atmosphere where citizens of West Africa enjoy free movement and have access to education and health and engage fully in economic activities while living in dignity and in an environment of peace and security within the principles of democracy, rule of law and good governance.

ECOWAS believes that the IWD celebration calls for significant reorientation in the conduct of national and regional affairs to realize the dream of an ECOWAS of people with shared vision, inclusion, participation, collaborative partnerships, accountable leadership, people-centered and results-oriented approach to identified goals.

In extolling the virtues of Women, ECOWAS notes also that they are “very strong, daring dauntless, dedicated, determined and committed” as they multitask and function both as wives, working mothers, some of whom even leave their countries for other lands in search of success.

ECOWAS is working hard to continuously identify prioritized goals and objectives that align with its vision of promoting cooperation and development in all fields of economic activity in Member States

Accordingly, the ECOWAS Commission expects the full participation of women in ECOWAS, in the ongoing institutional reform process to ensure its success while counting on their support, tireless efforts and commitment to getting things done in the community

In 2016, the IWD hosted the pledge for parity campaign which committed to helping women and girls achieve their ambitions and challenge their own bias. It also called for gender balanced leadership, and the idea of valuing contributions equally regardless of gender while encouraging the creation of inclusive flexible cultures in the society.

Today, ECOWAS is seeking a hand of fellowship, to advance women’s rights, and to formulate strategies to achieve the goal of gender equality in the region.

The International Women’s Day (IWD) is a worldwide event that promotes gender equality celebrates women’s achievements cutting across all sectors of human development.