The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is convening a Youth-voices-for-change summit to unleash potentials of the region’s young minds for growth, the enhancement of security, stability as well as self-development.

The two-day event which begins on the 5th of June, 2024 in Accra, Ghana, represents a clarion call for the youth in the region to awaken to the possibilities of self- realisation and empowerment while becoming agents of peace in the overall socio-economic development of the region.

A statement by ECOWAS Directorate of Communications on Wednesday in Abuja said that apart from pushing the youth to become pivots of global change and innovation, the summit aims to amplify young people’s voices for a more inclusive political decision-making as well as in engendering peace processes that can encourage harmonious coexistence by communities across states.

The carefully planned brainstorming and mentoring sessions are also meant to leverage the potentials of the youth and provide opportunities for the promotion of dialogue and collaboration between the youth, governments, and industry leaders on harnessing digital technology to resolve issues in the transitional processes such as currently the case in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.

The summit is also expected to foster youth-led digital innovations that address known regional challenges of unemployment, irregular migration, insecurity, educational gaps, healthcare ills, poverty, criminality, poor governance, mis-/disinformation, and insecurity, violent extremism, etc.

Among others, a network of young innovators, mentors, investors, and policymakers (who are committed to the promoting of digital innovation), including National Action Plans for regional growth and stability, is expected to emerge from the processes of engagement with the youth.

The theme of the 2024 summit-Youth Digital Innovation for Inclusivity, Regional Growth and Stability, is also in sync with the fourth pillar of the ECOWAS Vision 2050 seeking to achieve “Transformation, Inclusive and Sustainable Development”.

The summit is holding in collaboration with ECOWAS’ partners including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the framework of the Strengthening Regional Peace and Stability Program (SRPS), West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), and The Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).

Participants are drawn from youth organisations and entrepreneurs across the region, civil society, Information and Technology experts, representatives from global and continental organisations as well as the private sector and the media.