ECOWAS presents its new regional policies on sport and volunteering for inclusive integration and development
The work of the regional workshop on the consolidation, validation and adoption of regional policies on Youth, Sport and Volunteering reached an important milestone with the official presentation of the draft ECOWAS Regional Sports Policy and the Strategic Document for the ECOWAS Volunteers Programme (PVC). This session enabled experts from Member States, ECOWAS institutions and technical and financial partners to examine the strategic directions that will guide these two priority sectors over the coming years.
The presentation of the ECOWAS Regional Sports Policy highlighted the Community’s ambition to make sport a powerful driver of regional integration, economic development, social cohesion and the promotion of peace. Developed in line with ECOWAS’s Vision 2050 as well as continental and international frameworks, this policy aims to strengthen the governance of sport, improve sports infrastructure, promote grassroots sport and elite sport, support the sports economy and foster the inclusive participation of women, young people and people living with disabilities.
The experts also reviewed the 2026–2035 Strategic Action Plan that accompanies this policy. This plan sets out the priority actions, coordination mechanisms, monitoring and evaluation indicators, and the procedures for mobilising the resources necessary for its implementation.
The second presentation focused on the Strategic Document for the ECOWAS Volunteers Programme, which aims to reposition volunteering as a key instrument for human development, regional integration and solidarity amongst the peoples of West Africa.
The discussions highlighted the contribution of volunteering to strengthening citizenship, youth participation in development, conflict prevention, community resilience and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The strategy document proposes, in particular, strengthening the Programme’s governance mechanisms, further professionalising volunteer interventions, and improving collaboration with Member States, regional institutions and development partners.
Following the two presentations, the delegations commended the quality of the documents produced, whilst making recommendations aimed at enhancing their relevance, their ownership by Member States and their operational effectiveness. The experts’ contributions focused in particular on improving funding arrangements, strengthening monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, harmonisation with national policies, and the integration of gender, social inclusion and digital transformation issues.
These presentations represent a crucial step in the process of validating regional policies. The feedback received will be used to finalise the documents before they are submitted to the ministerial meeting for formal adoption.
Through this initiative, ECOWAS reaffirms its commitment to equipping West Africa with modern and ambitious strategic frameworks capable of making sport and volunteering drivers of sustainable development, peace, regional integration and youth empowerment.