Objectives of the EGDC:

The EGDC, as the specialized agency and operational arm of ECOWAS in the area of gender equality, has set the following objectives:

• Mobilize and involve women as partners and beneficiaries in the regional integration process.
• Promote the development of the skills necessary to achieve gender equality goals.
• Develop regional partnerships with competent agencies and institutions that foster dialogue and mutual support for consensual solutions to recurring issues related to the marginalization of women.
• Develop mechanisms to mobilize civil society, the private sector, and all stakeholders for the adoption of policies and programs that address the major gender equality concerns of the sub-region.
• Strive to improve the performance of women in their respective fields of activity.

EGDC’s Missions:

The EGDC’s mission is to:

1. Initiate, develop, facilitate, coordinate, and monitor strategies designed to ensure the integration of gender issues into the Community’s programs;
2. Ensure that the actions align with the Beijing Platform, African priorities, the overall Strategic Vision of ECOWAS, and any other gender promotion instruments. It works in conjunction with the ECOWAS Member States, regional and international development structures, the private sector, and civil society organizations.

EGDC’s Vision:

The EGDC work for the emergence of a West African society where justice and security prevail, and in which women and men can participate, decide, control, and benefit from all development activities.

EGDC’s Mandate:

The EGDC is a specialized agency of ECOWAS with the mandate to initiate, coordinate and facilitate capacity building through knowledge-based training and skills transfer, program development and management for women and men in the public and private sectors to address the issue of equity and gender equality in ECOWAS integration strategies.