The ECOWAS Youth and Women Entrepreneurship Programme (EYWEP) is a regional programme launched by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to enhance the economic empowerment of the youth and women through entrepreneurship, innovation and skills development;
The programme was launched in Dakar, Senegal, on the sidelines of the Meeting of Ministers in Charge of Youth and Sports of ECOWAS Member States convened to validate and adopt new regional policies on youth, sports and volunteerism.
Information posted on the ECOWAS website said the EYWEP programme is being implemented by the ECOWAS Centre for Youth and Sports Development (CDJS) with technical and financial support from the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
The programme seeks to establish a conducive environment for the growth of innovative and sustainable businesses that can generate decent jobs and boost economic growth in the region, ECOWAS said.
The initiative will support young and women entrepreneurs by providing an integrated package of services such as capacity building, mentoring, access to business networks, technical support and financing mechanisms that respond to the needs of high-potential enterprises, the regional body explained.
The approach will “reinforce the competitiveness of beneficiaries and promote the emergence of a more dynamic and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem in West Africa,” says ECOWAS.
The Commission also noted that the launch ceremony was marked by the symbolic handing over of the first round of support to selected beneficiaries in the pilot countries.
The gesture, ECOWAS said, is a demonstration of its commitment to translate regional policies into concrete actions that directly benefit the citizens of member states.
The Commission reconfirm its commitment to promoting inclusive growth based on innovation, job creation, private sector development and empowerment of youth and women.
“The programme will help in enhancing the economic resilience of member states and fast-track the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063,” says ECOWAS.
EYWEP will serve as a regional platform for cooperation, innovation and investment in the entrepreneurial potential of West African youth and women, aiming to make entrepreneurship a driver of prosperity, stability and regional integration, the Commission added.
