The Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA) in partnership with the West Africa Youth Alliance (WAYA) and the Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI) with support from OXFAM in Ghana, is working with the ECOWAS Parliament to Establish and ECOWAS Youth Parliament.
After several engagements with the Right Honourable Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament DR. SIDIE MOHAMED TUNIS, the Consortium officially called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament to establish an ECOWAS Youth Parliament.
The call was made at Winneba in Ghana on the 30th of September 2023 during the 5th Legislative High-Level Parliamentary Seminar on the theme ‘Challenges of Unconstitutional Regime Change and Presidential Term Limits in West Africa’.
The call followed the official announcement of the establishment of the ECOWAS Youth Parliament by the Right Honourable Speaker of the ECOWAS parliament in his Opening Remark during the opening ceremony of the High-Level Seminar on 29th September.
The Right Honourable speaker in paragraph 10 his remark stated that “In response to the growing understanding of the value of youth in building resilience and peaceful societies, especially across our region, the ECOWAS Parliament is collaborating with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), led by Oxfam and its partners…to establish the ECOWAS Youth Parliament.
The establishment of the Youth Parliament, which is aligned with the ECOWAS Strategic Objective #5 “Building ECOWAS into a community of peoples fully inclusive of women, children and youth”, will facilitate the active participation of youths across the region in achieving the community vision, in coordination with the ECOWAS Parliament.”
The ECOWAS-Youth parliament when established will be the first in the AU Community and few across the globe that demonstrate strong recognition of the socio-political worth and value of young people beyond just mobilizing them for voting.
FOSDA and Partners have submitted a draft conceptual framework to the ECOWAS Parliament for consideration and further consultation of key stakeholders across West Africa.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
