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ECOWAS to roll out Gender Equality Seal across institutions next year
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is to roll out the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions (GES-PI) initiative next year as part of intensified efforts to strengthen gender equality across the sub-region.
The initiative is expected to help public institutions under ECOWAS strengthen gender mainstreaming by assessing their performance against internationally recognised standards and implementing reforms that promote gender-responsive governance.
It is being implemented in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), with the goal of attaining the highest “Gold Seal” certification.
The Director of the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre (EGDC), Sandra Oulaté Fattoh, disclosed this yesterday at the opening of the fourth and final regional planning meeting in Accra to finalise a comprehensive action plan for implementation across all ECOWAS institutions.
The meeting brought together all directorates and specialised institutions of the Commission, including the ECOWAS Parliament, the Community Court of Justice, the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) and the West African Health Organisation (WAHO).
It was to review and validate evidence gathered against the programme’s benchmarks and finalising ECOWAS’ self-assessment ahead of the implementation phase.
According to Ms Oulaté Fattoh, the initiative would assess gender equality within the Commission’s own structures, including recruitment, leadership, career progression and staff representation, to ensure the institution leads by example.
“We need to practise better what we are preaching. We implement programmes across the ECOWAS region, but within the institution we need to take a closer look at gender equality,” she said.
The framework, she explained, would examine whether women had equal access to employment opportunities and leadership positions and whether institutional systems promoted fairness, equal opportunity and shared responsibility.
“The Commission must serve as a model so that when we engage our member states on gender equality, we can point to our own institution as an example. We must practise what we preach,” she stressed.
On Ghana’s role, Ms Oulaté Fattoh commended the country for providing leadership in advancing gender equality initiatives within the region, describing it as a model of effective inter-ministerial collaboration.
She noted that Ghana’s selection to host several regional gender meetings reflected its leadership on gender issues and its role as the African Union’s gender champion.
She also praised Ghana’s long-standing implementation of ECOWAS programmes on obstetric fistula, scholarships for girls pursuing technical education and women’s agricultural empowerment.
Responding to concerns that gender equality initiatives focused disproportionately on women, Ms Oulaté Fattoh said the emphasis reflected persistent inequalities that continued to disadvantage women across West Africa.
“We are not doing well on the status of women in our region and we need to acknowledge that. We must first take deliberate steps to close those gaps before we can address other concerns,” she said.
She explained that while some ECOWAS initiatives already included boys and men, targeted interventions remained necessary to improve women’s participation in education, employment and leadership, particularly in technical and decision-making fields.
The Acting Secretary-General of the ECOWAS Commission, Muazu Umaru, said the meeting would review progress made under the Gender Equality Seal framework and agree on practical measures to support its full operationalisation across the Commission.
The GES-PI is anchored on five pillars: planning and management for gender equality, gender equality capacity, an enabling workplace environment, participation and accountability, and policy results and impact.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
Medical Doctor and dietician, Dr Bernice Korkor Asare, has urged women to take greater responsibility for their lifestyle choices, particularly their eating habits and levels of physical activity, to help reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.
According to her, although, some breast cancer risk factors, such as family history and certain reproductive factors, may not be within an individual’s control, lifestyle choices offer an opportunity for people to take preventive action.
She made this known during a talk on the topic: “Role of diet in breast cancer prevention” organised by Times Ladies Association of the New Times Corporation, publishers of The Ghanaian Times and The Spectator, in Accra on Thursday.
The event themed “Breast Cancer Awareness- Promoting Early Detection, Healthy Eating and Prevention.” 
She noted that having a risk factor did not automatically mean a person would develop breast cancer, but could increase the likelihood of developing the disease compared with someone without that particular risk factor.
“Having close relatives who have had breast cancer, particularly a mother, sister or daughter, may increase the risk, although not everyone with a family history will develop the disease,” Dr Asare opined. Read More.
By Adizatu K. Munkaila
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A group of compassionate friends from Innovation Gospel Impact last Friday visited the management, teachers and learners of the Street Academy in Accra.
The visit was to interact to get a deeper insight into the operations of the Academy that houses hundreds of street and underprivileged children and find ways to support them.
The team was led by Rev. Dr Isaac Apenteng Yeboah, a former Director for West African Mailbox Club and Director for Prisons Support Foundation, and Rev. Dale Sutherland from Washington DC.
The call, according to the visitors was occasioned by reports about the struggles of the Academy despite the occasional support it enjoys from individuals and some corporate entities.
Briefing them, the Founder and Executive Director of the Academy, Dr Ataa Lartey, thanked them for the concern showed, indicating that “this is a major boost for both teachers and learners; knowing that their plight is known by people outside their premises.”
According Dr Lartey, the Academy had planned to undertake a number of project to enhance teaching and learning and also procure facilities for the children with keen interest in sports but had to shelve those plans for lack of finance.
He told the team that their biggest concerns were the monthly utility bills that takes a toll on their finances.
“We have a piece of land we planned to turn into an astro turf pitch to train the younger ones whose interests lies in making a career out of football, however, we have been unable to commence because there is no money now,” he said.
Dr Lartey expressed gratitude to the teachers who have dedicated their lives to training these children, rather than going for well-paying jobs and hoped that with time, their conditions of engagement would improve.
Moved by the plight of the Academy, the group donated a cash amount of Gh₵3,000 to settle its water bills.
They described as unfortunate the conditions of learners and teachers of the Academy and pledged to continuously support their operations to realize the dream to build a better future for the unfortunate children.
The group offered to support the school with its monthly utility bills, feeding and staff allowance and urged the Academy staff to remain in constant touch with them.
The Street Academy is located at the Accra Art Center and offers brilliant but needy the chance to pursue their educational dreams by enrolling them in public schools with others offered training in sports and cultural activities.
By Spectator Reporter
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