Female Parliamentarians, under the auspices of the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA), have intensified efforts to address the factors militating against female participation in politics and policy-making in the region, following poor female representation in political decision-making organs.
On Thursday, 25 June 2026, the ECOFEPA Executive Masterclass with the theme” Building the Next Generation of Stateswomen for Legislative and Executive Excellence” that was held in Abuja, was an avenue to interrogate the political and cultural encumbrances against female representation in the critical arms of government in the region and the strategies to ameliorate this situation.
It was a masterclass in mentorship and a purpose-driven agenda to boost the interest of aspiring young women in political positions, to drive the process of transformation for the betterment of the region, and to exploit the excellence, talents, and skills of women to ensure representation on the largest possible scale.
To demonstrate its importance, a large retinue of experts was drawn across overlapping sectors to give credence to this essential effort to enhance the status of women in politics, which, over the years, has not been really encouraging, especially in Nigeria, West Africa’s biggest country, where female representation in parliament and executive positions has been dwindling dangerously in recent times.
In Nigeria, Women make up approximately 4.5% of the 10th National Assembly. Of the 469 total seats in the Senate and House of Representatives, female lawmakers occupy only 21: 4 out of 109 in the Senate and 17 out of 360 in the House. This is very pathetic for a country that is supposed to be the leading light in West Africa’s political direction.
There is, however, an encouraging development in Senegal, where women hold 41.2% of the seats in the Senegal National Assembly, or 68 of the 165 total seats, placing Senegal among the top countries for female political representation in West Africa.
This was made possible through the country’s 2010 gender parity law, which mandates alternating male and female candidates on electoral lists.
Ghana and Sierra Leone also offer hope that, with greater effort, female representation in parliaments across the region could improve. In Ghana, female representation is approximately 14.5% out of 275 total seats in the Ghanaian Parliament. This amounts to 40 female Members of Parliament (MPs)
Female representation in the Sierra Leone Parliament stands at 28.2%. Following the June 2023 general elections, women secured 42 of the 149 total seats, a significant increase from the previous 14.5% representation.
President of ECOFEPA, Senator Chantal Moussokoura Fanny, represented by the First Vice President of the association, Hon. Zainab Gimba, was joined by Ambassador Tunji Asaolu, Secretary General, United World Congress of Diplomats; Pascaline Gerengbo Yakivu, the Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo to Nigeria; Chief Joseph Nwaobasi, chairman of the Nigeria-Romania Parliamentary Friendship Group Committee of the 10th National Assembly, among others, to add a new dimension for female politicians in the region.
The discussions were centred on critical topics geared towards expanding visions and redefining systems while arming women with the essential tools, such as economic empowerment, needed to succeed within the murky waters of politics, in addition to exemplary virtues such as discipline, public trust and perseverance against mounting odds.
Making her presentation entitled “Pathway Into Political Office-Experience Sharing”, Hon. Zainab Gimba said perhaps the most fundamental element of politics is for aspiring female politicians to identify with the needs of their communities and frame policies and programmes that will resonate with the people.
She emphasised that female politicians must embrace education and civic awareness, adding that this will go a long way toward improving their path, irrespective of the financial difficulties women face most of the time.
Nigerian Senator and member of ECOFEPA, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, was one of the panellists and spoke on “Leadership Mindset for Public Service,” highlighting the need to measure performance by setting standards that will endure and enhance legacies.
She said that “the true measure of a stateswoman is not the office she occupies but the future she leaves behind,” adding that the greatest strength of any female politician or those aspiring is authenticity.
She said that leaders must keep their promises, admit mistakes, remain accessible and live by the values they preach, adding that leaders must always tell the truth no matter whose ox is gored, and work to preserve character. She stressed that the values that sustain leadership include integrity, courage, empathy, accountability and humility.
“Leadership is about solving problems, creating opportunities, restoring hope, and building institutions that outlive us. True leaders measure success not by how long they remain in office but by how many lives are improved because they served,” she said.
The masterclass exuded confidence in women’s potential to excel in politics, provided they can mobilise resources to secure sensitive positions. However, women face enormous challenges, some of which include: financial constraints, sexual harassment, cultural barriers and sometimes religious manipulation to subdue them.
To address these huge challenges, women must unite, organise, and strategise on how to collaborate with their male counterparts to raise their political status. They must also push for more laws to create more seats for women in Parliaments and other executive positions.
