ECOWAS strengthens member states' commitments through consultative visits

From June 10 to 26, 2024, a delegation from the ECOWAS Human Capital Development (HCD) Secretariat, led by Program Coordinator M. Ruben Johnson, conducted an information and consultation tour across the region to Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Liberia, Benin, and The Gambia.

During this tour, the HCD team held meetings with relevant authorities responsible for coordinating HCD activities and conducted intensive working sessions with the HCD focal points of each country.

These field visits aimed to share findings from the computation of the 2024 ECOWAS HCD Index and to assess the status of the implementation of national HCD strategies. The HCD secretariat also advocated for establishing national HCD delivery units for effective implementation of HCD initiatives and programs.

During these meetings, the team presented the results of data collected for developing the ECOWAS HCD 2024 Index and Report, scheduled for publication in August 2024. Member States' focal points provided additional insights on political, social, and economic factors that influenced the landscape during the reporting period.

The index assesses Member States' progress in thematic areas outlined in the ECOWAS HCD strategy and gender parity: Health and Nutrition; Education, Skills and Labor participation; Entrepreneurship; Financial inclusion; and Digital Economy. The goal is for the region to become Africa's leading regional economic community by 2030.

Member states reaffirmed their commitment to prioritizing human capital development. Countries without a national strategy recognized its importance and committed to accelerating finalization of their strategies as well as establishing national “Delivery Units” dedicated to HCD.

ECOWAS reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing advocacy, communication, and resource mobilization efforts to support Member States in achieving Regional Strategy objectives.

The momentum built at the Technical Conference on Human Capital Development held on May 8-9, 2024, in Accra remains strong. This is crucial as implementation of the regional HCD Strategy progresses, emphasizing engaging all ECOWAS Member States in prioritizing human capital development within their national development agendas.