The ECOWAS Centre for Gender Development marked International Women’s Day with a landmark agreement to boost access to reusable sanitary products across West Africa, targeting barriers that keep girls out of schools and women out of workplaces.
Signed in Dakar on March 5, the pact between ECOWAS and Senegal’s Ministry for the Family and Solidarity kickstarts a regional initiative to build three production units for eco-friendly sanitary towels and adult diapers, beginning with a facility in Senegal. The project, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and ECOWAS’ 50th year, aims to curb school absenteeism linked to menstrual poverty while creating jobs for women impacted by obstetric fistula—a childbirth injury prevalent in low-resource settings.
With one in ten girls in Sub-Saharan Africa missing school during their periods due to lack of hygiene products, according to UNESCO, the initiative seeks to address both educational disparities and environmental harm. Disposable pads account for a growing share of non-biodegradable waste in the region, prompting ECOWAS to prioritize reusable alternatives. The Senegalese production unit will train women affected by fistula—a condition often leaving them ostracized—in manufacturing, while distributing subsidized pads to schools to keep adolescent girls in classrooms.
“This isn’t just about hygiene—it’s about dignity, economic inclusion, and breaking cycles of poverty,” said an ECOWAS commissioner during the signing ceremony, attended by UN agencies, NGOs, and medical students. The move aligns with broader efforts to advance the Beijing Platform’s goals, as West Africa grapples with some of the world’s highest gender gaps in labor force participation and education.
Critics, however, question scalability. Past regional projects have stumbled over funding shortfalls and logistical hurdles, particularly in rural areas where cultural taboos around menstruation persist. ECOWAS officials emphasized partnerships with local women’s networks to ensure community buy-in, while a parallel “call to action” urged schools and universities to stock the pads.
The initiative also spotlights a shift toward intersectional policy-making in a region where 60% of women work in informal sectors with scant social protections. By tying menstrual health to job creation and environmental sustainability, ECOWAS bets on a holistic approach to gender equity—one where reusable pads become a catalyst for broader change. Success, however, hinges on execution. As global aid for gender programs plateaus, the bloc’s ability to turn pledges into tangible gains will test its commitment to a milestone it helped shape half a century ago.
