By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) has concluded a three-day regional meeting in Freetown with the adoption of the Freetown Declaration on Youth Employment, outlining commitments to tackle unemployment and expand economic opportunities for young people across West Africa.

The declaration was adopted at the 29th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts for West Africa, held from October 28 to 30, 2026, under the theme, “Unlocking the Potential of Young People in West Africa: Pathways to Employment, Economic Transformation and Resilience.”

The meeting brought together more than 100 delegates to discuss practical strategies for addressing youth unemployment, strengthening skills development and harnessing the region’s human and natural resources to promote inclusive economic growth.

Organised by MoPED in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the session produced recommendations calling for increased investment in job-creating sectors, stronger youth development institutions and improved alignment between education and labour-market demands.

Delegates also emphasised the need to expand digital and entrepreneurial skills, strengthen technical and vocational education, promote gender-responsive planning and encourage greater private-sector participation in youth employment initiatives.

Agriculture featured prominently in the discussions, with participants identifying the sector as a major source of employment requiring increased investment, modernisation and support to attract young people.

Ghana’s representative called for improved access to land and finance, mechanised farming, seed funding and stronger support for young agricultural entrepreneurs. The representative also advocated recognising sports as a viable employment and business sector and encouraging public support for products and services developed by young people.

Senegal’s representative proposed dedicating at least two months of the three-month school vacation to vocational and professional training for young people aged 15 to 25. The proposal also called for greater attention to young women and improved coordination of youth employment and training policies.

Sierra Leone’s intervention highlighted the need to make teaching more attractive through better incentives and remuneration. The representative also raised concerns about English Language performance and called for increased investment in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and agricultural education.

Other delegates stressed the importance of formally recognising skills acquired through apprenticeships and informal employment to improve young people’s access to further training and formal jobs.

The recommendations further called for stronger regional value chains, improved access to markets and finance, increased investment in agricultural enterprises and expanded opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Participants also recommended decentralising youth training and enterprise support to rural communities, promoting sustainable tourism, improving gender-disaggregated data and strengthening cooperation among governments, regional institutions, development partners and the private sector.

To ensure that the recommendations translate into measurable results, delegates called for a monitoring scorecard through which the Bureau and ECA could track implementation by member States.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, ECA Subregional Office for West Africa Director Ngone Diop said the meeting had provided a framework for translating regional priorities into practical action.

She urged member States to implement the recommendations within the proposed short-, medium- and long-term timelines, stressing the need to move beyond declarations and deliver tangible results.

Diop also highlighted West Africa’s considerable natural resources and estimated population of 480 million, noting the importance of transforming these assets into productive investments, employment opportunities and improved living conditions.

Minister of Planning and Economic Development Kenyeh Barlay, who officially closed the session, said the adoption of the Freetown Declaration fulfilled the challenge she had presented at the opening on behalf of Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh: replacing broad declarations with concrete commitments for young people.

Barlay called on the Secretariat and the Bureau to establish an effective system for tracking implementation and assessing progress against the agreed timelines.

She said the region needed strong political will to address persistent unemployment, limited fiscal space, the mismatch between education and labour-market requirements, and vulnerability to external shocks.

The Minister stressed that the success of the meeting would ultimately depend on the practical results delivered by member States rather than the commitments announced during the conference.

She commended ECA and its Subregional Office for West Africa for partnering with MoPED to organise the meeting and thanked the Secretariat, technical teams, participating institutions and media practitioners for their contributions.

Meanwhile, delegates endorsed Benin as the proposed host of the 30th Session of the Committee, tentatively scheduled for the last quarter of 2027. The Bureau and ECA are expected to undertake further consultations to finalise arrangements for the next session.

The adoption of the Freetown Declaration marks a regional commitment to tackling youth unemployment and expanding economic opportunities. Its success will depend on sustained political leadership, adequate funding, effective coordination and accountability to ensure that the agreed measures translate into meaningful jobs and inclusive economic development across West Africa.

Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Monday, 2nd November 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)