Guinea-Bissau has reaffirmed its national commitment to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda through a three-day capacity-building workshop organized by the ECOWAS Commission from July 22 to 24, 2025, in Bissau.
The workshop, facilitated by the ECOWAS Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Family and Social Solidarity of Guinea-Bissau and the ECOWAS Women, Peace and Security Regional Steering Group (WPS-RSG), focused on implementing the African Union’s Continental Results Framework (CRF). The CRF has been adapted by ECOWAS to enhance monitoring and reporting on WPS priorities in West Africa.
Supported by the ECOWAS Peace, Security and Governance Project (EPSG)—co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ—the workshop aimed to strengthen national accountability and data systems aligned with UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and related frameworks.
In her opening address, Minister of Women, Family and Social Solidarity, H.E. Maria Inácia Có Mendes Sanhá, reiterated Guinea-Bissau’s commitment to gender equality in peacebuilding, highlighting key national policies, including the Gender Equality Policy (PNIEG), the Parity Law, and laws on gender-based violence and human trafficking.
Also speaking, Mrs. Cristina da Silva Pedreira, Director General of Regional Integration and Head of the ECOWAS National Unit at the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Integration, emphasized the importance of localizing continental frameworks to ensure women’s leadership in sustainable peace and development efforts.
Representing the ECOWAS Resident Representative, Dr. Aishatu Morido Yanet commended the collaborative efforts and urged participants to leverage the CRF as an accountability tool to address coordination and data gaps, as identified in the 2024 ECOWAS regional WPS report.
On behalf of ECOWAS’s Humanitarian and Social Affairs Directorate, Mr. Olatunde Olayemi, Program Manager on Human Trafficking, described the CRF as vital to institutionalizing WPS monitoring. He noted that the Guinea-Bissau training is the ninth conducted by ECOWAS across the region.
Germany’s representative, Mr. Carsten Wille, Head of the Liaison Office of the German Embassy in Dakar and Guinea-Bissau, reaffirmed Germany’s support for feminist development cooperation and praised Guinea-Bissau’s commitment to strengthening its institutional response to peace and security from a gender perspective.
Led by Ms. Tamwakat Elizabeth Golit, Integrated Expert on WPS for the EPSG Project, and Ms. Edineusa Lopes José da Cruz Figueiredo, President of the Institute for Women and Children, the workshop engaged over 35 participants from government ministries, security institutions, civil society, academia, and the media. Sessions included technical training, participatory exercises, and tools to improve data collection and reporting on WPS indicators.
At the conclusion, five gender assessment reports were formally presented to the ECOWAS Resident Representative’s Office and the ECOWAS National Office. Ms. Golit summarized key findings and called for improved transparency, coordination, and public access to the data, which is now available on the ECOWAS website.
Participants lauded the workshop as timely and essential, calling for more training, integration of the CRF into national systems, and strengthened multi-sector collaboration. The event closed with a collective call to move beyond policy declarations toward measurable progress in promoting the rights and roles of women and girls in peacebuilding across Guinea-Bissau and the region.
