Accra, Ghana – The 50th anniversary Legacy Project on Gender Parity in Elected Bodies (2025–2035) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) brought together regional leaders and gender advocates from across West Africa for a historic regional consultation on women and youth leadership and political participation in Accra, Ghana.
By 2035, the program hopes to accelerate gender equality in political representation among member nations by advocating for reforms and model laws that will support women’s involvement in elected office and leadership positions.
Liberia’s Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Hon. Gbeme Horace-Kollie, is at the center of the country’s involvement in this regional initiative. As a leader, she has actively participated in bringing Liberia’s national gender equality program into line with the regional goals of ECOWAS.
The Ministry of Gender and Children Social Protection has played a significant role in national policies and partnerships that mirror the Legacy Project’s goals, in addition to Hon. Gbeme Horace-Kollie’s presentation of the technical recommendation on reforms, quotas, and capacity building tools for women’s political participation and youth leadership in West Africa at the Accra consultation.
The consultation, which was organized under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), brought together regional stakeholders, gender advocates, and policymakers to strengthen frameworks that support women’s and youths’ meaningful participation in political processes and decision-making.
Using the occasion, Liberia reaffirmed its commitment to promoting inclusive democratic governance throughout West Africa and to strengthening institutional and legal frameworks that support gender equality. Liberia also reaffirmed its commitment to increasing political space for women and young leaders.
“We believe that empowering women and youth in leadership is not only a matter of fairness it is essential to sustainable peace, democratic stability, and regional development”. Hon. Horace-Kollie added speaking to local media.
As part of ECOWAS’s golden jubilee celebrations, the Legacy Project, which emphasizes a common regional vision that gender parity is crucial to sustainable development, peace, and democratic progress, aims to build on fifty years of democratic governance by giving gender parity in elected bodies throughout the region top priority.
A number of strategic goals are included in the initiative, such as advocating for legislative reforms, which encourages member states to adopt laws and frameworks that increase the representation of women in political leadership, adopting model laws, developing a regional guide or model law that individual nations can customize to institutionalize gender parity commitments, and building capacity and dialogue that facilitates ministerial meetings, regional consultations, and high-level advocacy spaces where officials, gender experts, and civil society can develop effective strategies for political participation.
Liberia remains committed to putting promises into practice and making sure that women are fully involved in determining the course of our country and region. Experts and gender focal points from ECOWAS member nations, including Liberia, collaborated with counterparts during the regional consultation in Accra to sketch out future directions for more robust legal frameworks that prioritize the voices of women in politics. Following this technical workshop, plans were made to hold advocacy sessions and a ministerial roundtable to take the discussions to the level of political leadership.
The Ministry of Gender has been at the forefront of national initiatives to promote women’s inclusion and empowerment, even if Liberia’s percentage of women in elective office is still low and in line with regional trends. Under Minister Horace-Kollie’s leadership, Liberia has strengthened policy changes addressing obstacles to women’s involvement in government by launching programs like the National Policy Dialogue Platform on Gender Equality.
Additionally, Liberia is actively involved with the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre (EGDC), a regional organization that spearheads gender equality initiatives throughout West Africa. The Minister represents Liberia in regional platforms and cooperative networks that promotes EGDC.
Involving itself in the ECOWAS Legacy Project, Liberia demonstrates its dedication to regional cooperation in reducing the disparity in gender representation in politics. Through participation in high-level discussions and consultations, ECOWAS platforms, and coordinating national policy direction with regional norms, Liberia is contributing to the development of a future in which men and women in West Africa have equal access to elected office.
Member states’ persistent efforts to convert regional promises into tangible institutional and legislative reforms will be essential to the Legacy Project’s success. Liberia is positioned not just as a participant but also as an active contributor to the common vision of gender parity in elected bodies by 2035 because to its proactive approach, which is supported by its gender ministry.
