The Second Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hon. Adjaratou Coulibaly of Côte d’Ivoire, has called for stronger participation of women in global trade, economic transformation and political decision-making across West Africa.
Speaking on behalf of the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Rt. Hon. Hadja Memounatou Ibrahima, at the opening of the ECOWAS Women’s Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) Executive Masterclass in Accra on Friday, September 25, 2026, Hon. Coulibaly said women must be empowered to play a greater role in shaping the region’s economic and political future.
The masterclass was held on the sidelines of the Second 2026 Parliamentary Seminar and Second Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament under the theme, “Advancing Women’s Participation in Global Trade for Political Readiness and Export Opportunities in the ECOWAS Region.”
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Hon. Coulibaly said the initiative is designed to strengthen women’s economic autonomy and equip them to take advantage of opportunities created by expanding regional and global trade.
She noted that women across the ECOWAS region have demonstrated strong entrepreneurial abilities, innovation and adaptability, but continue to face barriers to accessing global markets and regional and international value chains.
“The issue is not simply to favour women, but to remove the barriers that prevent them from contributing fully to the regional economy,” she said.
According to Hon. Coulibaly, promoting women in global trade is essential to achieving inclusive and sustainable economic development in West Africa.
She said women should not only participate in economic activities but must also be positioned to influence the policies and decisions that shape trade, investment and economic development.
She linked women’s economic empowerment to political participation, arguing that financially independent women are better positioned to contribute to public policy and decision-making.
“I am totally convinced that by promoting women’s participation in trade, strengthening their financial capacity and advancing their economic independence, we can help create a generation of increasingly autonomous women across our region,” she said.
Hon. Adjaratou Coulibaly urged ECOFEPA and its partners to extend initiatives focused on women’s economic autonomy through trade and leadership to other ECOWAS Member States.
The Second Deputy Speaker expressed appreciation to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) for supporting the initiative and promoting inclusive economic development centred on women.
Hon. Adjaratou Coulibaly also called for collective action to increase women’s representation in political and economic decision-making.
Women, she said, must be active not only in trade but also in public policy, economic transformation, opportunity creation and political leadership.
“We need more women in the political sphere,” she stressed.
She encouraged stakeholders to remove barriers limiting women’s participation and create opportunities for women to contribute fully to the development of the ECOWAS region.
The programme brought together women parliamentarians, entrepreneurs, policymakers, development partners and other stakeholders to explore opportunities for women in global trade, exports, economic empowerment and political leadership.