Prioritise women, youth representation in governance, Jonathan, ECOWAS Parliament’s Speaker charge W/African leaders By Taiye Agbaje
Former Nigerian President Dr Goodluck Jonathan and Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Dr Sidie Mohammed Tunis, on Friday, urged West African leaders to prioritise women and youth representation in governance.
Jonathan and Tunis spoke at the opening of a two-day townhall meeting organised by the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) in Abuja.
The event is titled “Rejuvenate Democracy by Giving Voice to the Young People.”
The ex-president, who spoke through the Executive Director of Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Ann Iyonu, enjoined the regional leaders to dedicate special seats for women and youths in the various countries’ parliament in order to increase women and youths’ participation in politics
Iyonu said this would help to improve the worsening percentage of women and youths in politics in the African continent.
She said that democracy cannot thrive and function well if it is not inclusive.
She emphasised that women and youth are major components of the society who should play critical roles in leadership and governance.
On his part, the speaker of ECOWAS Parliament thanked the bureau and membership of ECOFEPA for organising the initiative, as a way of deepening the integration process and scaling up social inclusion for the citizens.
“The holding of this Townhall Meeting has also provided an opportunity for our constituents to have a face-to-face interaction with their representatives and it gives me pleasure to welcome all the delegates to Abuja, the seat of the ECOWAS Parliament,” he said
He said the meeting is strategically aligned with the current ECOWAS Vision 2050, which places more emphasis on women and youth development in the sub-region.
According to him, the ECOWAS Parliament, under my speakership, has recognised the special role of women and youths as actors, agents, and beneficiaries of development.
Hon. Tunis said leaders must not take for granted the critical role women and youth play in advancing gender parity, promoting social diversities and inclusion.
“Consequently, we have made concrete commitments and taken tangible actions to ensure the integration of the gender dimension in all planned actions and activities of the Parliament, including policies, and programs,” he said.
In her goodwill message, the Country Representative of UN Women, Beatrice Eyong, who decried the low representation of women and youth in politics, said such act cannot continue to be encouraged in the region and Africa at large going by the increasing number of women and youth in the region.
Eyong thanked the ECOWAS Parliament’s speaker for giving a budget for the activities of ECOFEPA.
The President of the ECOFEPA, Hon. Woraye Sarr, in her welcome address, recommended that various governments and members of parliament in the region should proactively and progressively implement the 30 per cent quota in their respective parliaments and delegations.
She said that the activity of the organisation is strategically tied to the ECOWAS vision 2050 shared value and a desire to have a common future for all.
Sarr expressed hope that the objective can be realised if women are given more importance.
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