The ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC) is holding a three-day Regional Youth Conference from July 1 to 3, 2025, in Saly, Senegal. The conference is being organised in collaboration with the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), and with support from the European Union, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Recognising the importance of engaging youth in shaping policies that affect their futures, ECOWAS launched a pilot phase of Youth Forums and consultations across Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Benin. These initiatives provided a vital platform for young people aged 15 to 35 to share their views and co-create solutions, ensuring that future regional youth policies reflect the diverse realities and aspirations of West African youth.
The ECOWAS Regional Youth Conference 2025, with the theme “Engaging ECOWAS for a New Vision on Youth,” will build on these insights by fostering dialogue between youth and policymakers. Organised as part of ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary celebrations, it seeks to define key elements of a new Youth Policy and shape a unified regional vision aligned with young people’s aspirations.
