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EGDC Team
Prof. Fatou Sow SARR
Commissioner
ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs.
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Prof. Fatou Sow SARR
ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs
×Professor Fatou Sow Sarr has a multidisciplinary background with a PhD in social work and social policy from Laval University, a PhD in sociology and political anthropology from Paris VIII, a postgraduate diploma in development sociology from IEDES-Paris I Sorbonne, a postgraduate diploma in environmental sciences from Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Dakar, and a French master's degree in development economics from the Aix-Marseille II School of Economics.
Prof. Sarr has held positions as a social mission officer and technical advisor at the Ministry of Social Affairs and as director of the Gender and Family Institute. She taught at the University of Namur in Belgium, then at the National Institute of Social Workers of Dakar, before joining IFAN in 1999. In 2004, she created a Gender and Scientific Research Laboratory to integrate gender studies into UCAD, train and supervise students.
Since 1998, she has been an expert in gender training and in the development and evaluation of gender programs and budgets with UN institutions in over twenty African and Caribbean countries (Haiti, DRC, Rwanda, Togo, Gabon, Burundi, Mauritius, Congo, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad, Morocco, Djibouti, São Tomé and Príncipe, among others).
Professor Sarr teaches at several European universities, including the Centre for African Studies in Madrid, the University of Lleida in Spain, the University of Granada, and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva.
She is the author of several publications, scientific articles, and reports on gender and development, women and power, female entrepreneurship, climate change and the environment, social policy, migration, security, illegal migration, local development, gender and energy, gender-based violence, women's leadership, gender parity, among others.
She has been involved in the political and economic empowerment of women through various organizations, including the Women Leaders' Caucus, which played a key role in the adoption of the parity law in Senegal. She is the Francophone Africa coordinator for the Women's Political Participation Program, funded by Swedish cooperation and implemented by IDEA.
Professor Sarr has also been involved in national activities as a member of the Higher Education Reform Committee (2013), the National Committee for Health and Social Protection Consultation (2012), and the Higher Council for Radio and Television (2001-2006).
She has also been involved in international programs as a member of the Scientific Committee of Africa 2020 to identify specific issues for women artists in Africa and write a more inclusive art history (AWARE, Paris), a member of the WHO Advisory Committee on Research and Development in Health, a member of the Advisory Group for the IMF Sub-Saharan Africa, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Forum of African Women Educators (FAWE/Nairobi).
Awards
Prof. Sarr has received many honors, including Commander of the National Order of the Lion of Senegal in 2020, Knight of the Legion of Honour of France in 2018, Officer of the National Order of the Lion of Senegal in 2015, the Re-Source Sunnunet Exceptional Citizen Award in 2015 for her work and commitment to the nation, the Cauris d'Or Award for Best Woman Manager of Senegal in 2014 for MEDES (Senegalese Business Association), and the Pan-African Alliance Award in 2013 for her work and publications on gender issues, among others.Sandra OULATE FATTOH
Director of the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre
×Sandra OULATE FATTOH holds a Master's degree in Gender, Development, and International Cooperation from the University of Bamako, and a Bachelor's degree in Law and Political Science.
With over 20 years of experience working for various international organizations, Sandra has contributed significantly to the promotion of gender equality, women's empowerment, and the protection of human rights in West Africa. She has worked extensively with the African Union, the United Nations, and ECOWAS.
As the Director of the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre, Sandra is responsible for leading regional programs to promote gender equality in the ECOWAS member states. She plays a critical role in policy advocacy, capacity-building, and strengthening institutional frameworks for gender-responsive governance in the region.
She has also participated in key international meetings, serving as a representative of ECOWAS in various gender-related summits, conferences, and workshops, and collaborating with local governments and stakeholders to improve the socio-political conditions of women and marginalized groups across the region.
Her work has contributed to the development of ECOWAS gender policies, including the implementation of gender parity laws and the promotion of women's participation in decision-making processes at all levels of governance.
Salimata Thiam
Principal Programme Officer Gender
Salimata Thiam
Principal Programme Officer Gender
Salimata Thiam is a dedicated expert in gender equality and social development in West Africa. With extensive experience in implementing projects aimed at women’s empowerment, she has distinguished herself through her commitment to building more inclusive and equitable societies.
Salimata Thiam is recognized for her proactive approach to integrating gender issues into public policies and regional initiatives.
Through her work, she has contributed to promoting women’s access to economic, educational, and social opportunities. As a committed professional, she has also collaborated with various institutions and partners to strengthen community capacities and foster inclusion.
MADAME Aïssatou BA
Program Officer Women Economic Empowerment
MADAME Aïssatou BA
Program Officer Women Economic Empowerment
A socio-anthropologist by training, Mrs. Bâ holds a master’s degree in sociology from UGB and a DEA in Development Anthropology from UCAD. As an expert in Gender and Development, she has received training in gender-sensitive planning, management, and participatory evaluation of sustainable development actions. She also holds certificates in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and social safeguards.
In terms of experience, she worked as a Research Engineer in a consulting firm, gaining solid experience in rural development.
2003-2010: Mrs. Bâ worked on two projects focusing on hydro-agricultural infrastructure development and advisory support for producers in four regions of Senegal (PAPIL/ADB). With PAFA (funded by IFAD), she coordinated gender-related activities and agricultural value chains by establishing sectoral dialogue platforms in the peanut-growing basin.
2012-2016: She served as a Gender and Social Expert at the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA-S) in Senegal, responsible for supervising gender integration and social aspects within various components of the irrigation program in the northern region. She guided and supported farmers—both men and women—operating in the Delta and Senegal River Valley, participating in the implementation of the Resettlement Action Plan and support fund for project-affected, vulnerable populations. As a sociologist, she also played a social mediation role between local governments, communities, and enterprises.
She later worked as a Social Safeguards and Community Development Expert under the PDIDAS Project, financed by the World Bank.
Since May 2016, she has been Program Officer for Economic Empowerment at the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre (EGDC).
Overall, Mrs. Bâ is a socio-anthropologist, Gender Expert, and specialist in social issues, community development, land tenure, and sustainable development, with additional training in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).
Dr. Odile Ndoumbé Faye
Program Officer Gender and Civil Society
Dr. Odile Ndoumbé Faye
Program Officer Gender and Civil Society
Dr. Faye holds a PhD in Sociology from Gaston Berger University (GBU) (Senegal), a Postgraduate Degree in Information and Communication Sciences from Cheikh Anta Diop University (Senegal) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resources Management in International Organizations from CESAG (Dakar – Sénégal).
She successively held the positions of Head of documentation Department at the Training and Research Unit of Legal and Political Sciences at UGB, Head of the Communication Division of UGB and Director of the Antenna of UGB in Dakar. After 17 years at the UGB, she headed from October 2007 to March 2016, the Executive Secretariat of a continental NGO named AAWORD (Association of African Women for Research and Development) bringing together 22 African countries in Africa and the Diaspora.
Dr. Faye joined the ECOWAS Commission in April 2016 precisely at the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre (EGDC) as Programme Officer Gender and CivilSociety. She works particularly on the designing and implementation of gender programmes and for the mainstreaming and operationalization of ECOWAS Gender policies in the ECOWAS 15 Member States.
She also works closely with civil society actors to give them the necessary support for the development and implementation of innovative gender projects in the region. Dr. Faye has worked on Development issues in the world. She has been a member of many international and continental networks such as LDC Watch, the African Women Caucus on Gender Equality, the African Women Lobby on Gender Equality, African Women CSW Group, the CSO group working with the World Bank and the African Development Bank.
Dr Faye is also very commited to women movements in Senegal and development at the grassroot level. She has occupied the positions of Chairperson of the Scientific Committee of Conseil Sénégalais des Femmes (COSEF) (Council of Senegalese Women) and led the scientific work for the adoption of the parity law in Senegal. She has also been a member of the Senegalese National Observatory on Parity and led the Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Parity organized by the Senegalese Government in 2011.
Furthermore, she coordinated the Forum of African Francophone Women during the 15th Summit of Francophonie held in 2014 in Dakar, Senegal. Through these works, Dr. Faye has contributed to the improvement of the conditions of women, girls, boys and children in the Africa Region and to the visibility of the African Gender Equality Agenda in the World.