The ECOWAS Parliament has pledged fresh measures to curb soaring unemployment across West Africa, wrapping up a week‑long joint‑committee meeting in Monrovia on Friday with a call for deeper funding for small businesses and targeted support for high‑growth sectors.
Gathered under the theme “Assessing the Effectiveness of the ECOWAS Investment Policy as a Panacea for Rising Unemployment in the Sub‑Region,” MPs from the committees on Administration, Finance and Budget; Public Accounts; Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research; and Industry and Private Sector reviewed current investment rules and their impact on job creation.
In a closing communiqué, delegates urged:
Stronger SME financing: Simplified credit lines and regional guarantee schemes to help entrepreneurs scale operations.
A friendlier business climate: Streamlined regulations and cross‑border trade facilitation to attract domestic and foreign investors.
Sector‑specific incentives: Priority backing for industrial agriculture, renewable energy and digital technologies—industries deemed capable of absorbing large numbers of young workers.
“Reducing youth unemployment is pivotal to peace and prosperity in our community,” said committee rapporteur Marie‑Claire Mensah, warning that without urgent reforms “the demographic dividend could turn into a social‑economic time‑bomb.”
The Monrovia meeting forms part of ECOWAS’s golden‑jubilee agenda, which places inclusive growth and job creation at the centre of regional policy for 2025–2030. Recommendations will be forwarded to the ECOWAS Council of Ministers and Heads of State for adoption later this year.
