During the closing ceremony of the Third Extraordinary Session and Second Parliamentary Seminar of the ECOWAS Parliament in Togo, Ibrahima emphasized the importance of regional parliamentarians increasing efforts to support financial inclusion and investments for West African women.
She expressed the commitment of the parliament to addressing the challenges faced by women in the region, particularly through the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association.
Ibrahima highlighted the symposium organized by ECOFEPA on “Financial Inclusion and Economic Empowerment of Women in ECOWAS subregion” and stressed the need for member states to ensure women have access to necessary resources like bank accounts, loans, and investment opportunities to empower them economically.
“It is clear that women are change agents and they should be supported in the key role that they play if we want to speed up the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Our collective responsibility is therefore to ensure that financial inclusion of women is not limited to access to financial services, but we must ensure it becomes a fundamental human right and a pillar of economic equality.
“Clearly the path to true financial inclusion and economic empowerment calls for concerted efforts of all members of the society to drive policies that will foster equity to enable women to overcome the obstacles facing them,” the speaker said.
Ibrahima stated that the path to financial inclusion and economic empowerment was a long process and solicited intensive advocacy for equitable opportunities that would enable women’s entrepreneurship to blossom.
“Let us commit ourselves to the path where every woman will realise her full potential, where economic barriers are eliminated and financial inclusion is a reality for all.
“This is how we can break the chain of poverty within our families and communities,” she noted.
President of ECOFEPA, MP Veronica Sesay, emphasized that investing in women’s financial inclusion is key to creating a more prosperous and equal society, free from oppression and discrimination.
“Entrepreneurship is the gateway to women’s financial redemption.
“ECOFEPA is pushing for more financial resources that will empower women to be economically independent and to pursue their political aspirations,“ Sesay said.
Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor, Liberia’s former Vice President and Secretary General of the African First Ladies Peace Mission, urged women to utilize the Global Task Force to Empower One Million Women in the Trade Industry.
This Washington-born initiative offers new opportunities for West African women.
Howard-Taylor also called on regional leaders to ensure women’s access to credit facilities to expand their businesses.
“Closing the gender gap will trigger a 3 trillion dollars GDP growth rate around the globe,” she highlighted , quoting a report.
