The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has launched the $365 million Sub-Saharan Africa Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Plus (SWEDD+) project, expanding its reach to Nigeria and other nations in the region.
Originally initiated in 2015 as a response to demographic challenges in the Sahel, the SWEDD project—backed by the World Bank and the United Nations—has empowered over two million girls across countries such as Burkina Faso, Chad, and Senegal. The initiative has since grown to include nations like Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali, now encompassing a broader focus under the SWEDD+ banner.
At the launch event, ECOWAS Vice-President Madame Damtien Tchintchibidja emphasized the project’s transformative goals, stating, “SWEDD+ is a call to action for countries to invest in reducing vulnerabilities for adolescent girls and young women, enabling them to contribute to economic and social development.”
The initiative has achieved remarkable milestones, including:
- Supporting over one million girls to stay in school with scholarships, meals, and transportation.
- Creating over 8,000 safe spaces and 5,000 male engagement clubs to foster gender equality.
- Providing skills training and job opportunities to more than 150,000 young women.
- Increasing access to contraception for over one million new users, while reducing stock-out rates in health facilities to 24%.
The SWEDD+ project introduces three new components to deepen its impact:
- Gender-Transformative Interventions: Promoting education, skills-building, and economic opportunities for women and girls.
- Strengthened Health Services: Expanding reproductive, maternal, and adolescent healthcare, while training more healthcare professionals.
- Policy Advocacy: Advancing gender-sensitive policies and combating gender-based violence.
With funding from the World Bank and technical support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), SWEDD+ is set to engage regional bodies such as ECOWAS and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
The launch, attended by key stakeholders, including ministers and development partners, marked a pivotal moment to assess SWEDD’s progress and chart a roadmap for the future.
SWEDD+ underscores a renewed commitment to addressing gender inequality, empowering women and girls, and fostering sustainable growth across sub-Saharan Africa.
