By Alex Adi
In an effort to reduce youth unemployment in the region, the ECOWAS Commission, as part of its Regional Strategy for Youth Employment in Agricultural Value Chains, has donated $2,238,000 to ten (10) agricultural research centres across the region. The donation was made in Porto Novo, Republic of Benin, and aims to train 3,850 young people, 40% of whom are women.
The cheques were presented by Mrs. Massandjé Touré-Litsé, Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture at the ECOWAS Commission. This took place during the opening ceremony of a workshop designed to sensitize and mobilize the beneficiary centres of the 2024/2025 Grant. The workshop also focused on the professional integration of young people into the agro-sylvo-pastoral and halieutic sectors at the Songhai Centre in Porto Novo.
“This initiative is fully in line with ECOWAS’ vision of promoting sustainable, inclusive, and innovative agricultural development. Training young people means investing in our collective future. It means giving them the tools they need to transform our agriculture, improve productivity, and strengthen the competitiveness of our agricultural sectors. It is also a way of combating unemployment by offering them concrete prospects for self-employment and entrepreneurship,” said Mrs. Touré-Litsé.
The Director of the Songhai Centre, Professor Godfrey Nzamujo, commended ECOWAS for taking this decisive step.
“What we are launching today is far more than a training program. It is the foundation of a new economic paradigm—one where agriculture, industry, and services work in synergy to drive sustainable development, environmental regeneration, and wealth creation,” Prof. Nzamujo stated.
