With Liberia experiencing the lowest rate of school enrollment for girls, the Economic Community of West African States is intervening through its Monrovia mission to improve the situation.
ECOWAS, in partnership with the West Africa Health Organization and Payless Bana Innovations held a Training of Trainers workshop on Sexual Reproductive Health in four counties in Liberia.
Montserrado, Margibi, Grand Bassa, and Bomi are regions that benefited from training, which started February 24–26, 2025.
The initiative aims to reduce school dropout rates among adolescent girls due to limited access to affordable menstrual pads, which can lead to them missing up to 50 school days annually.
ECOWAS Resident Representative Josephine Nkrumah emphasized the importance of empowering girls to stay in school and highlighted the environmental benefits of using biodegradable pads. She encouraged the girls to become ambassadors of positive menstrual hygiene practices.
About 60% of Liberia’s adolescent girls are out of school, trapped in early marriages, or sidelined from economic opportunities, according to a detailed analysis in the World Bank’s report, Pathways to Prosperity for Adolescent Girls in Africa.
According to the report, only 40% of Liberian girls aged 15-19 remain in school, one of the region’s lowest enrollment rates. The situation is even worse for rural girls, many of whom leave school early due to societal pressures such as early marriage and childbearing.
Nationally, over 30% of Liberian girls in this age group are married or have children, making them more likely to drop out of school permanently and face limited economic prospects.
