The retreat’s dynamic format also included team-building games, reflective exercises, and a quiz competition — all reinforcing the key themes of growth, self-discovery, and empowerment
ABUJA, Nigeria, May 31, 2025/APO Group/ --
As the ECOWAS region commemorates 50 years of regional integration, the ECOWAS Commission reaffirmed its commitment to gender empowerment through a landmark retreat held from 28 to 29 May 2025 at Zuma Rock, Niger State, Nigeria. Organised by the Directorate of Human Resources, in collaboration with the ECOWAS Amazon Executives, the two-day event was a rescheduled celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD), postponed from March to ensure inclusive participation across cultural and religious lines.
The retreat brought together the female staff of the ECOWAS Commission across board for a dynamic programme of reflection, dialogue, and empowerment. Coinciding with ECOWAS Day on 28 May—the founding date of the Community in 1975—the gathering carried symbolic weight, linking the institution’s regional journey with the personal and professional aspirations of its women.
The second day, featured the core training and empowerment activities, beginning with opening remarks by Mrs. Kete Gillis-Harry, Principal Officer for Career Management & Training, followed by a goodwill message from Madame Marième Sy, Vice President of the ECOWAS Amazon. Her words set the tone for a transformative day grounded in the values of leadership, authenticity, and purpose.
Participants engaged in an interactive training session delivered by Otive Igbuzor, PhD, Founding Executive Director of Centre LSD (Leadership, Strategy and Development). With modules titled Empowering Women for Leadership: Overcoming Barriers and Advancing Equality and Promoting Women’s Financial Independence: Pathways to Sustainable Empowerment, Dr. Otive challenged participants to dismantle systemic limitations, embrace purpose-driven leadership, and unlock their full potential.
A standout moment of the day was the “Experience Sharing” segment led by Mrs. Enife Atobiloye, Partner at TRANSEARCH. Drawing from her expertise in executive search and leadership development, she inspired participants to build their capacity with strategy, emotional intelligence, and a commitment to authenticity.
The retreat’s dynamic format also included team-building games, reflective exercises, and a quiz competition — all reinforcing the key themes of growth, self-discovery, and empowerment. These moments were guided by the facilitation team from the Directorate of Human Resources, whose support ensured the programme’s coherence, professionalism, and impact.
In her concluding remarks, ECOWAS Amazon President Madame Marième Sy offered an inspiring call to reflection, encouraging women to define success on their own terms and to lead with authenticity and courage. The retreat underscored that gender empowerment is not a peripheral agenda, but a foundational pillar in the realisation of ECOWAS Vision 2050 — building an ECOWAS of Peoples.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
something strange to hear or see such as what these alshabaab guys are rehearsing ,it is common for low profiled individuals to think like that forgetting what si going on in their country as they became the only evil that exist now in somalia.They are blood suckers and war minded people who do not have any link with islam.See what they repeating time to time (we will attack puntland and after Somaliland ) they have no mercy for their people so how an earth to feel pity for the others
waar waxaad tihiin dad waalwaalan ee diinta gafka ka daaya hadaad muslim sheeganaysaan ma waxa la laayaa shicibka mise dad aan waxba idiin geysan oon dad iyo diinnba wax u dhimayn waar ma waxa laydin yidhi muslimbaa lalaayaa waxaan ilaahay ka baryayaa in uu idin jabiyo if iyo aakhiraba sababtoo ah sixir iyo diin aan la aqoon ayaad wadatiine
siciid morgan
when they deprive us of our peace,we take action against any foreign policy directed by the capitalistic fat cats in the west, for simply looking at us as either:
1. canon fodder in a proxy
2. a slave for their ambitions
That is enough for true countrymen to reject money handed out by them, but it is not hard for them to find a susceptible leader(warlord) to create a dictatorship army, which is why Africa is in a plight of its own making.