By Joseph Momoh, Reporter, Daily Scope
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire — The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in collaboration with the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), has inaugurated a five-day training workshop aimed at integrating youth into election observation missions. The workshop, taking place from October 17 to 21, 2025, marks a significant step towards enhancing youth participation in democratic governance throughout the region.
Under the pilot project titled “Mainstreaming Youth into the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EEOM),” the initiative brings together 22 young observers from 11 ECOWAS member states. These participants will be deployed on October 25, 2025, to observe the electoral process, a move designed to promote inclusive governance and bolster electoral integrity.
This initiative is particularly noteworthy as it represents the first formal integration of young observers into an ECOWAS Election Observation Mission. Among the active participants are Kadiatu Tholley from the National Elections Watch (NEW) and Sorie Ibrahim Koroma from the Center for Electoral and Civic Education, both from Sierra Leone. They are providing recommendations and strategies for involving youth in governance and electoral processes across member states.
Serigne KA from the ECOWAS Electoral Assistance Division and Irchad Razaaly, the Ambassador of the European Union (EU), encouraged the youth participants to leverage this pilot project to advocate for policies that ensure their full participation in governance and election observation.
As the workshop progresses, the commitment to fostering youth engagement in democratic processes is set to enhance the integrity and inclusivity of elections across West Africa.
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