In a pivotal engagement held on August 5th, 2025, the Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs welcomed the ECOWAS President and Envoy, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray and his delegation, for a high-level dialogue on advancing gender equality and protecting the rights of women and children across the subregion. Hon. Dr. Isata Mahoi thanked His Excellency the President, Dr. Julius Maada Bio for the opportunity to serve as the Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs and for his tenacity in positioning Sierra Leone on global, regional and sub regional platforms.
Minister Dr. Isata Mahoi emphasized Sierra Leone’s unwavering commitment to upholding international treaties while respecting cultural norms. She called on ECOWAS to support efforts aimed at safeguarding the welfare of children and addressing all forms of violence against children.
We have come a long way by prohibiting child marriage as a law but we have fallen short on the criminalization of ending child female genital mutilation, Dr. Mahoi affirmed. As part of the Human Capital Development initiatives, the Minister also proposed the formation of a consolidated ECOWAS Gender Ministers Forum to foster cross-country collaboration and elevate women’s leadership in governance. We have resuscitated the Network of Women Ministers and Parliamentarians (NeWMaP) in Sierra Leone and such structures seems to be existing at the Africa wide level but we can start by establishing the ECOWAS level.
Key issues discussed included:
• The establishment of a Sanitary Pad manufacturing Unit in Sierra Leone for which Cabinet has approved and the MoU signed
• Expedited support for women living with fistula conditions and a concept note has been shared with the ECOWAS Gender and Documentation Centre for necessary funding
• Legislative action on ending child FGM in alignment with international obligations like CEDAW, CRC, ACRWC, Maputo Protocol etc
• Address barriers women in cross border trade face including SGBV and trafficking
• Advancing the Women, Peace, and Security agenda in ECOWAS Member States.
The ECOWAS President, Dr Touray, outlined their shared commitment to
• Mobilize support for the Sanitary Pad Plant and Fistula and other initiatives earlier discussed and encouraged prompt action and transparency in the rollout of these initiatives, reaffirming the institution’s dedication to supporting Sierra Leone as a regional leader in gender-responsive reforms. The Envoy congratulated the Hon. Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs on her assumption as chair for the ECOWAS Gender/Women Machinery in West Africa.