ECOWAS is taking steps to address youth unemployment and rural migration in West Africa by integrating young people into the agroforestry, fisheries, and agri-food value chains. The organization is focusing particularly on the local milk sector as part of its Regional Agricultural Policy. Stakeholders are currently conducting a mid-term review of phase 3 of the Support Programme for Agricultural Professional and Farmers’ Organizations, which supports these efforts.
From August 5 to 7, 2025, stakeholders are meeting in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to assess progress after more than two years of program activities. The main areas under review include promoting technical and economic models that increase youth employability in agroforestry and fisheries value chains, fostering an environment conducive to developing local milk value chains, and strengthening management capacities related to ECOWAP, the regional agricultural policy.
Africa’s population is notably young, with over a third under the age of 35. However, this demographic advantage remains largely untapped. According to a 2019 study by ECA and AfDB, most of Africa’s 420 million young people between ages 15 and 35 are either unemployed or working in insecure jobs.
Colonel Serikpa Dadi Guillaume, Inspector General at Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Animal and Fisheries Resources, said: “Unemployment rate among young people averagely doubles that of adults. Between 10 and 12 million young people enter the labour market every year against only 3 million formal jobs created annually. The challenge is huge as the lack of salaried jobs drives young people into informal sectors, creates unsteady jobs, leading to illegal emigration and joining terrorist movements and groups”.
Mrs. Massandjé TOURE-LITSE, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, addressed participants: “this review should be seen as a necessary stop (i) to make a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the Programme (ii) to assess progress together, (iii) identify major challenges encountered and (iv) agree on best strategies for improvement to ensure that expected results are achieved”.
Currently, there are 24 pilot initiatives underway across eleven countries in West Africa and the Sahel—Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Senegal, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Togo, Guinea, Gambia and Chad. These projects aim to help integrate youth into the workforce through family-type mini-dairy farms, intensive dairy farms, multi-service collection centers models, mini-processing dairies and innovation platforms.
ECOWAS aims for these initiatives to support professional organizations in designing technical and economic models that will integrate young people into local milk value chains. The goal is also to create about 17,500 decent jobs for young men and women across participating countries.