A staggering 24.95% of West African youth are currently unemployed, placing the region among the worst globally in youth joblessness, a member of the ECOWAS Parliament has disclosed.
Senator Amara Konneh, Chairman of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee and a lawmaker from Liberia, disclosed the figure during a presentation at a delocalised joint committee meeting in Monrovia, Liberia.
The session, which focused on finance, economic policy, and the private sector, explored ways to tackle rising unemployment through investment policy reform.
“The overall youth unemployment rate across Africa is 30.43%, and globally it stands at just 5.8%,” Konneh said. “This glaring disparity underscores a failure in translating economic potential into jobs for young people in West Africa.”
Themed “Assessing the Effectiveness of the ECOWAS Investment Policy as a Panacea for Addressing the Rising Levels of Unemployment in the Sub-region,” the meeting brought together ECOWAS lawmakers and economic experts to examine strategies for reversing the trend.
Konneh, a former Liberian Minister of Finance and Development Planning, attributed the crisis to an inadequate investment environment, poor infrastructure, fragmented regulations, and limited investor confidence in the region.
He said despite the ECOWAS Investment Policy adopted by member states, meaningful impact had yet to be felt. The policy was designed to harmonise regional regulations, attract both domestic and foreign direct investment, and create jobs.
“Investment is critical to job creation. It expands industries, stimulates innovation, and boosts overall economic growth,” he said. “Yet most ECOWAS countries are struggling to attract the volume of investment needed to absorb the millions of youths entering the job market.”
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According to him, the mismatch between rapid population growth and job creation has led many young people to seek risky migration routes in search of better opportunities.
He added that agriculture, manufacturing, services, and Small and Medium Enterprises — sectors considered key job creators — were not receiving adequate investment support.
Konneh stressed that strengthening the region’s financial infrastructure, improving human capital, and expanding access to capital were essential steps. He also called for increased investment promotion, particularly in SMEs, which he described as “the backbone of economic growth and job creation.”
Highlighting a path forward, the lawmaker proposed the harmonisation of investment laws across ECOWAS member states and the full integration of the ECOWAS Common Investment Code by 2030.
“We need to align as a single economic space if we want to reverse this trend. Disjointed regulations and weak investor protections won’t bring in the capital we need,” he warned.
NAN
