Freetown, Sierra Leone – 02 November 2026 (ECA) — West African countries have adopted the Freetown Declaration, outlining a series of policy recommendations and concrete actions to unlock the potential of young people, expand productive employment and accelerate inclusive economic transformation across the subregion.
The Declaration was adopted at the conclusion of the 29th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts for West Africa (ICSOE for West Africa), held in Freetown from 28 to 30 October 2026, under the theme “Unlocking the potential of young people in West Africa: pathways to employment, economic transformation and resilience.” The session was co-hosted by the Government of Sierra Leone and the Subregional Office for West Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (SRO-WA/ECA).
The Minister of Planning and Economic Development of Sierra Leone, Hon. Kenyeh Barlay, presided over the closing of the three-day meeting, which brought together senior government officials, representatives of regional and international organizations, development partners, academia, the private sector and civil society to discuss policy pathways for translating West Africa's demographic potential into productive opportunities.
The Freetown Declaration calls on West African governments to strengthen institutional frameworks for youth development, align education and technical and vocational training with labour-market requirements, and increase investment in sectors with significant job-creation potential.
Among its key recommendations, Member States are encouraged to:
Increase investment in agriculture, agribusiness, livestock, mining, digital services and entrepreneurship to expand productive opportunities for young people.
Strengthen technical and vocational education and training (TVET), digital competencies and entrepreneurial skills to improve youth employability.
Expand young people's access to finance, productive assets, land and business development support.
Integrate youth employment priorities into national development plans, sectoral policies and public budgets, supported by effective monitoring frameworks.
Promote regional value chains, cross-border cooperation and youth participation in regional and continental markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Improve labour-market statistics and establish national baselines on public and private investment in youth, including profiles of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).
The Declaration also calls for stronger attention to young people's participation in the mining sector, sustainable tourism, sports and recreational activities, as well as improved prevention, treatment and rehabilitation services for drug and substance abuse.
The Declaration identifies specific responsibilities for ECA and its regional and international partners. These include strengthening coordination among national and regional institutions, supporting countries in addressing data gaps, facilitating the sharing of training resources and disseminating evidence on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly youth employment and investment in young people.
It also calls for the expansion of the Budgeting Sensitive to Demographic Dividend (BSDD) approach across West African countries that are ready for implementation, building on existing national experiences and supporting the identification and publication of public expenditure directed towards young people.
The private sector is equally encouraged to expand investment in productive activities, establish apprenticeship programmes in agricultural value chains and other growth sectors, and strengthen platforms such as the West African Business Linkage Platform (WABLP) to connect young entrepreneurs with markets, finance and mentorship.
To ensure follow-up, the Declaration requests the Bureau of the Committee, with the SRO-WA/ECA's support, to monitor implementation through a scorecard and report progress at the 30th session of the ICSOE for West Africa. Member States are also invited to present their progress on implementation of national commitments at that session.
The recommendations will further be conveyed to the 2027 session of ECA's Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
The Freetown Declaration marks an important outcome of the 29th session, providing a framework for coordinated action by governments, ECA, development partners and the private sector to strengthen human capital, expand decent employment opportunities and harness the demographic dividend for West Africa's structural transformation and resilience.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org
