A powerful regional gathering of women leaders opened on Monday in Abidjan, Ivory coast, as female ambassadors of peace from the Gulf of Guinea came together to confront the escalating threats of insecurity in West Africa.
The two-day forum, organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aims to bolster women’s leadership and deepen regional resilience in a region beset by growing jihadist violence and political fragility.
Launched under the banner of the Gulf of Guinea Regional Forum of Women Peace Ambassadors, the event convenes dozens of key stakeholders—from women mediators and civil society leaders to security officers and policymakers. The initiative follows the June 2024 launch of the UNDP’s Prevention Facility, which targets coastal countries in the Gulf of Guinea facing destabilisation risks from the northern Sahel’s turmoil.
“The aim is to create an inclusive space where women leaders can engage technical and financial partners, share solutions, and strengthen community-level peacebuilding,” explained Magloire N’Déhi, Head of the UNDP Governance Unit in Côte d’Ivoire. He emphasised the forum’s focus on financing local initiatives that address conflict prevention and social cohesion.
Opening the event, Ivory coast’s Minister of Women, Family and Children, Nassénéba Touré, underscored the strategic importance of the Gulf of Guinea and called for women to be “equipped, trained, informed and ready to intervene” at every level of society.
“We must make our voices heard in decision-making spheres,” she declared. “We must transform our experiences into advocacy, our pain into projects, and our networks into regional capacities for action.”
As Ivory coast gears up for elections this October, Minister Touré encouraged women to serve not just as voters, but also as candidates, observers, and mediators—championing peace without resorting to violence.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ivory coast Hélène N’Garnim-Ganga, called the forum a “platform for action,” adding, “We reaffirm our collective commitment to promoting lasting peace, driven by women, for women and with women.”
Structured around networking, dialogue, and strategy sessions, the forum is expected to culminate in the publication of a report and a political advocacy document to guide national and regional policy.
Organisers hope it will lay the foundation for a robust, interconnected women’s peace network across the Gulf of Guinea.
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