ECOWAS Champions Women’s Health, Empowerment On International Women’s Day
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
For decades, menstrual health has remained an overlooked barrier to gender equality, silently affecting the education and economic opportunities of millions of women and girls in West Africa.
The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, in a landmark move, is taking action, using International Women’s Day 2025 as a platform to bridge this gap.
At a high-level event on March 5, 2025, in Dakar, Senegal, the ECOWAS Centre for Gender Development (CCDG) marked this year’s celebration with a powerful initiative—signing a partnership agreement with Senegal’s Ministry for the Family and Solidarity to establish a production unit for reusable sanitary towels.
The project is part of a larger ECOWAS plan to build three such units across the region, aimed at ensuring menstrual hygiene, reducing school absenteeism, and creating jobs for women affected by obstetric fistula.
Beyond its immediate impact on education and economic empowerment, the initiative also aligns with environmental sustainability efforts by promoting reusable alternatives to non-biodegradable sanitary products.
Dignitaries, including ECOWAS officials, UNFPA and UN Women representatives, and Civil Society Groups, attended the event.
Students shared testimonies of the challenges they face due to menstrual hygiene issues, reinforcing the urgent need for accessible solutions.
With this move, ECOWAS is not just celebrating women but changing lives, one sanitary pad at a time.
