ECOWAS Lawmakers Push for Education Reform to Tackle Youth Unemployment, Skills Gap

Jane Salihu

The ECOWAS Parliament has called for urgent reforms to the education systems across West Africa, stressing that the region must better align its curricula with labour market demands to address rising youth unemployment and economic challenges.

The call was made during a joint committee delocalised meeting held in Lomé, Togo, where lawmakers and education stakeholders discussed strategies for improving curriculum relevance across the region.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, the President of the National Assembly of Togo, Komi Selom Klassou, warned that the growing disconnect between education and labour market needs could undermine productivity, competitiveness, and stability in West Africa.

Klassou, who was represented by the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, said education must evolve beyond knowledge transmission to become a strategic instrument for economic growth, social progress, and regional development.

According to him, West African countries must rethink their educational systems to keep pace with technological advancement, emerging industries, and the increasing demand for practical skills in modern economies.He noted that the region’s youthful population represents a major opportunity but warned that failure to equip young people with relevant skills could turn the demographic advantage into a burden.

The chairman of the Committee on Education, Science and Culture, Kweku George Hagan from Ghana, also emphasised that education remains the most powerful tool for sustainable development but must be relevant to real economic needs.

Hagan pointed out that many labour markets in the region are evolving faster than existing curricula, creating a paradox where jobs remain vacant despite a growing number of graduates lacking the required skills.

He therefore urged West African governments to prioritise digital literacy, entrepreneurship, green skills, and stronger technical and vocational training while strengthening collaboration between education authorities, industries, and the private sector to ensure that education drives economic transformation in the region.