ECOWAS Plans Mentoring Network to Connect West African Youth with Entrepreneurs
Accra, Ghana – April 30, 2025
ECOWAS Addresses Youth Unemployment Through Human Capital Development
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is developing a mentoring and apprenticeship network to link young West Africans with entrepreneurs across the continent. This initiative forms part of the regional organization’s strategy to tackle youth underemployment and boost human capital development.
Leadership Commitment to Youth Empowerment
ECOWAS Vice-President H.E. Damtien Tchintchibidja emphasized the urgency of creating sustainable employment opportunities during the Youth Conference on Developing an Economically Inclusive West Africa. “We cannot ignore the reality that many young people struggle to find meaningful work,” she stated through her representative, Mr. Ruben Johnson.
The Vice-President confirmed ECOWAS’s commitment to “increased resources for youth support activities” through partnerships. Ghana’s Minister of Youth Development, H.E. George Opare Addo, echoed this sentiment, calling for stronger collaboration to build an empowering ecosystem for West African youth.
Strategic Conference Marks ECOWAS Anniversary
The two-day conference in Accra, organized with Ghana’s Ministry of Youth and Development, commemorates ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary. It implements the organization’s Human Capital Development Strategy launched in 2021, advancing the vision of an “ECOWAS of Peoples.”
Over 250 participants from government, education, business, and youth organizations across member states are attending. Specialized ECOWAS agencies, including the Youth and Sports Development Program, are also represented.
Key Conference Themes
Discussions focus on critical youth development issues:
- Root causes of youth unemployment
- Showcasing successful youth enterprises
- Financing opportunities through the HCD Catalytic Investment Fund
- Technology’s role in job creation
- Education reform for labor market alignment
- Promoting youth civic engagement
This initiative represents ECOWAS’s comprehensive approach to transforming West Africa’s employment landscape and empowering its youth population.