From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has said that the exclusion of women and youths from governance was responsible for underdevelopment in the African region.
Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Sidie Mohamed Tunis, who bemoaned the situation, noted that women were builders.
Tunis, however, said the decision to focus on the young women in the continent was a welcome development.
Speaking on the sidelines of the just concluded First Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Sierra Leone, Tunis said: “I would like to reiterate that one of the major reasons African countries are lagging behind developmentally, compared to other continents, is because women and youths have not been given their rightful places in governance.”
Tunis further said the statistics of women and youths’ political representation within the ECOWAS sub-region was appalling.
Tunis added: “We have to turn this tide quickly with total commitment and dedication to this noble cause.”
Tunis also said the youths were the future of the continent, hence platforms for exchange of ideas, experience sharing and codifying best practices should be amplified.