Understanding the EYWEP Programme: a new opportunity for young people and women in West Africa
In response to youth unemployment, limited access to finance and the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has launched the Youth and Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (EYWEP). This regional initiative reflects ECOWAS’s commitment to making entrepreneurship a key driver of economic development, job creation and regional integration.
Implemented by the ECOWAS Centre for Youth and Sports Development (CDJS), with technical and financial support from AUDA-NEPAD and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the programme aims to strengthen the entrepreneurial capacities of young people and women in member states.
EYWEP offers comprehensive support ranging from entrepreneurial training and mentoring to the development of digital skills, access to business networks, project incubation and funding opportunities. The programme also emphasises innovation, value creation and business sustainability.
By fostering the emergence of competitive businesses, the programme contributes to the realisation of ECOWAS’s Vision 2050, which places citizens – particularly young people and women – at the heart of regional development.
Through this initiative, ECOWAS reaffirms its commitment to building an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem capable of transforming innovative ideas into businesses that generate wealth, jobs and opportunities for the entire region.