Formally launching the ECOWAS GENDER Programs, covering Obstetrics Fistula, Girls of Excellence Scholarship, Agricultural Fishery, Arts and Crafts, and Food Processing, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Madam Gbeme-Horace Kollie, pledged Liberia’s commitment to ensuring that the anticipated gains of the programs, are achieved.

She stressed national ownership alongside a broader collaboration with key stakeholders, noting that the empowerment dividends for beneficiaries, who are underprivileged girls, will be impactful.

Addressing the gathering, comprising officials of government, Heads of some ECOWAS Specialized Institutions, key private sector actors and ordinary Liberians, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development&Social Affairs, Professor Fatou Sow-Sarr, applauded the Liberian government for its unwavering support and continued commitment to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, inclusive of significant progress in reducing gender gaps in recent years.

Professor Fatou Sow-Sarr, a passionate proponent of Gender parity, acknowledged that following the creation of the ECOWAS Gender Development Center-EGDC in January 2003 during the 26th Session of Heads of State and Government, the center has “initiated several programs by adopting a multidimensional strategy relating to the integration of the gender dimension, which involves the institutionalization of gender issues, the strengthening of analysis, research capacities and development, the establishment of an information system, advocacy actions, partnership programs, and political dialogue”.

The ECOWAS Human Development and Social Affairs Commissioner re-emphasized the center’s provision of medical and financial assistance to women and girls suffering from obstetric fistula, promotion of Girls in the Specialized Technical and Vocational Training Sector through the granting of excellence scholarships and supporting women in improving the quality and competitiveness of their agricultural products, among others.

To further enhance the viability of the ECOWAS Gender Development Center programs in Liberia, the Director of EGDC, Madam Sandra Oulate Fattoh, presented copies of the Policy Brief on the Flagship programs of the center, along with a Symbolic Fistula Check of USD$250,000, which by far exceeds support in previous years.