ECOWAS Invests $2.238.000 Million to Empower Youth in Agriculture and to Boost Employment Across the Region
By Raymond Enoch
ECOWAS in a bold move to address youth unemployment in West Africa has donated a significant $2.238 million USD to support agricultural value chains, with a focus on creating sustainable job opportunities for young people across the region.
The donation, amounting to Two Million, Two Hundred and Thirty-Eight Thousand USD ($2,238,000), was presented to 10 Agricultural Research Centres in the region on Tuesday 25th February, 2025, as part of ECOWAS’s Regional Strategy for Youth Employment in Agricultural Value Chains.
The funding is aimed at empowering youth by providing training to 3,850 young people, with a targeted 40% of the trainees being women.
Mrs. Massandjé TOURE-LITSE, the Commissioner of Economic Affairs and Agriculture at ECOWAS, handed over the cheques during a high-profile ceremony held at the Songhai Centre in Porto Novo.
The event also marked the opening of a crucial workshop designed to sensitise and mobilise the beneficiary Centres about the objectives of the 2024/2025 grant, as well as to address challenges surrounding the professional integration of youth into the agricultural, sylvo-pastoral, and fisheries sectors.
“We are committed to enhancing youth employment through strategic interventions in agriculture, which is the backbone of our regional economy. This initiative will equip young people with the skills necessary to thrive in the agro-sylvo-pastoral and halieutic industries, sectors that are rich in potential but often underutilized,” said Mrs. TOURE-LITSE during her address at the ceremony.
The ECOWAS Commission has long recognized that youth unemployment is a critical challenge in West Africa, which can contribute to social instability and stunted economic growth.
This donation is part of a broader effort to ensure that young people, particularly women, have access to quality education and professional integration opportunities within key sectors such as agriculture, which employ a substantial portion of the population.
The regional strategy aligns with ECOWAS’s vision to build a more sustainable and inclusive economy for the future of West Africa.
Through the Agricultural Value Chains initiative, it is hoped that the region will see a transformation in youth employment, not only increasing job opportunities but also fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in agriculture.
This investment also strengthens the bond between agricultural research institutions, youth development, and regional cooperation, laying a solid foundation for a prosperous future where young people are at the forefront of economic and agricultural growth.
The training programs will focus on equipping participants with both technical and managerial skills necessary for the successful development of agricultural value chains. The workshops will cover specialized areas from sustainable farming practices to business management, helping to create a generation of skilled agricultural entrepreneurs ready to tackle the challenges of the 21st century.
With over 3,800 young people set to benefit from the program, the $2.238 million grant signals a crucial step forward in addressing one of the most pressing issues facing West Africa today: the employment of youth and the unlocking of their potential to drive regional development.
As ECOWAS continues to focus on creating opportunities for its youth, this latest contribution provides a much-needed boost to efforts aimed at fostering economic independence, sustainability, and growth across West Africa.
