The West African Women’s Association (WAWA) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has unveiled a new leadership team for its Nigeria chapter, signaling a major shift toward high-profile advocacy and rural outreach.
  
In a dual-pronged strategy to rejuvenate the 20-year-old organisation, Mrs Bola Adekunle-Carew was appointed National Focal Person for Nigeria, while veteran broadcaster Alhaji Tajudeen Uzamot was named Special Adviser on Media Services.
 
The investiture, held at the ECOWAS House in Onikan, Lagos, was attended by a high-level regional delegation led by WAWA’s Regional President, Dr Madam Fall, who travelled from the organisation’s headquarters in Dakar, Senegal. The presence of regional leadership underscores the strategic weight ECOWAS is placing on Nigeria to pioneer its latest grassroots initiatives.
  
The Board Secretary, Chief Agnes Otor-Ojehomon, described the current transition as a clarion call for women to unite across political and social divides.
  
For Adekunle-Carew, taking over from the association’s late pioneer leader, immediately pivoted the conversation toward the most vulnerable. Her new agenda is concentrated on three core pillars: health, economic integration and the direct empowerment of widows, single mothers and adolescent girls.
  
The appointment of Alhaji Tajudeen Uzamot is seen by many as a masterstroke in addressing the association’s long-standing visibility challenges. A seasoned broadcaster with a storied career at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Uzamot brings decades of media experience and public trust to the role.
  
As Special Adviser, Uzamot will oversee the association’s public image, focusing on translating complex regional economic integration goals into actionable messages for rural communities. His role is expected to be pivotal in drumming up support for the chapter’s flagship Shelter and Food for Rural Women project. “Visibility is the bridge between policy and impact. Our task is to ensure that the woman in the farthest rural village knows her rights and the opportunities available through ECOWAS,” Uzamot said.