African youth’s potential is untapped due to limited opportunities

May 9, 2024 Vaseline stjohnson 0

By Franklin ASARE-DONKOH

The Vice-Chairperson of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), HE (Mrs.) Damtien L. Tchintchibidja, has revealed that the potential of Africa’s young population is not being fully realized due to limited opportunities .

According to her, ECOWAS is one of the youngest regions in the world and its youth population is expected to continue growing.

Almost 44% of the ECOWAS population is under 15 years of age and 65% is under 25 years of age. However, the potential of our young population is not being fully realized due to limited opportunities. She reiterated.

Addressing participants at a three-day Technical Conference on Human Capital Development (HCD) currently taking place in Accra, HE Tchintchibidja explained that challenges such as high unemployment, widespread illiteracy and restricted access to services prevail. basic social conditions, with women being the most affected. problems disproportionately.

The Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission noted that the previous efforts and investments made by the commission have not adequately addressed the development of a healthy, well-educated and fully trained population to contribute to the social and economic growth of the member countries. .

“The path to economic and social advancement in our region requires a more substantial and united effort to advance human potential.

Since the launch of the strategy, ECOWAS has actively supported the development of national HCD strategies within Member States. Significant progress has been made in this direction and today we can proudly say that: seven (7) of the 15 ECOWAS Member States have received funding from ECOWAS to support the development of their national strategies.

Nigeria and Burkina Faso have completed the development of the national HCD strategy. While Senegal, Benin and Guinea-Bissau have developed their national strategy pending validation.

Nigeria has moved to sub-national implementation of its National HCD Strategy and received significant support from ECOWAS to develop localized delivery.

In Phase 1 of the ECOWAS HCD journey, we achieved key milestones. Now, as we embark on Phase 2, which focuses on implementation, our commitment must intensify to unlock and nurture the full potential of our citizens,” said HE Tchintchibidja.

The Vice-Chairman of the ECOWAS Commission urged participants to focus their efforts on supporting the respective Member States in achieving the objectives of the HCD strategy.

According to her, this involves supporting regional advocacy and communication efforts on HCD, mobilizing regional resources, establishing a centralized monitoring and evaluation mechanism and capacity building for focal points in the 15 Member States.

Achieving this, he noted, requires a fundamental shift in thinking and a shift in the commission’s innovative actions and approaches.

“To ensure sustainability, we will support each Member State to establish an HCD Implementation Unit responsible for overseeing HCD activities.

The time has come to unite and join forces with the 15 Member States, technical and financial partners, the private sector, civil society and our citizens, to achieve our shared ambition of human capital development,” said the vice-president of the Commission on ECOWAS. .

HE Tchintchibidja further explained that while striving to achieve the objectives of the HCD, ECOWAS Member States face several challenges, such as political instability, growing insecurity, terrorist attacks, climate change, epidemic outbreaks and economic migration, to name a few.

However, he was optimistic that despite the challenges, ECOWAS is determined to pursue the DHC agenda with more resources allocated to regional stabilization, resilience and peacebuilding.

If we are successful, the HCD will boost regional growth, improve security and stability, accelerate the achievement of national development goals and drive socio-economic inclusion. HE Tchintchibidja added.

He took the opportunity to express his sincere gratitude to all financial and technical partners, especially the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who have been instrumental in supporting the ECOWAS Commission and its Member States throughout the journey towards the development of human capital.

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