Banking and other financial institutions in West Africa have been castigated for not helping alleviate the plight of youths in the sub-region. Youth delegates converging in The Gambian capital of Banjul for the second edition of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Youth Forum have lamented about difficulties in accessing funds to support youth entrepreneurship.

 Youth representatives from the ECOWAS member states condemned the high interest rates, often charged by the banking institutions on loans and requests for unthinkable collaterals to support youth entrepreneurship and employment. According to the delegates, these problems are detrimental to youth development and are forcing the mounting emigration of the youth to Europe, as well as HIV/Aids, the lack of quality education and marketable skills.

 Opening the August forum at the Paradise Suites Conference Hall on the theme ‘Youth And The Fight Against Poverty', the Gambian Secretary of State for the Interior Baboucarr Jatta, deputizing the Secretary of State for Youth, Sports, and Religious Affairs, said “care for the young people, especially the marginalized, vulnerable, and disadvantaged, is a moral duty of the government, communities, and individuals.” He said society owed it to young people to address youth empowerment as a strategy to tackling poverty and underdevelopment. “We have a moral obligation to reach out to the poor and the needy,” he said.

 Mr Jatta, quoting the UN statistics, said, “more than 500 million people, aged 15 to 24 live on less than US$2 per day; while 96 million young people in the developing countries do not know how to read, or write; and 14 million adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 become mothers every year. Every day, 6,000 young people are infected with HIV”.

 He said these challenges lie at the heart of the goals set by world leaders to reduce poverty and improve on the health and well-being of the people. He warned that if young people were not actively engaged in policy-making and programming, then there was imminent failure to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

 The Director of Human Development at ECOWAS Secretariat, Alhaji Dr Joof, , expounded on the importance of youth in the regional integration process, noting that this was in concert with the vision of the founding fathers of ECOWAS. He then urged the participants to develop a mindset that would provoke ingenuity for the development of Africa and make poverty history. He asserted that young people should be seen as a force for change.  “The situation of the youth, generally in West African sub-region paints a picture that calls for concerted action on the part of governments to arrest the declining fortunes of this active group and the quantum of challenges being faced,” he lamented.

 Dr Joof also expressed concern on the migration crisis involving young people, who risk their lives to emigrate to Europe and other western countries through dangerous routes. He blamed the crisis on the prevailing socio-economic conditions in the sub-region. However, he recommended the youth to be enlightened on the immigration issues in order to avoid being caught up in traps that might ruin their lives.

 Dr Joof expressed appreciation to Gambian President Yahya Jammeh for creating the enabling environment for the forum to be held in The Gambia.

 Simon Taro, Director of the ECOWAS Centre for the Development of Youth and Sports in Burkina Faso, amplified the youth's central role in politics and democracy, adding that the youth have a right to decent living, health, and equal opportunities.

 Tamsir Manga, Permanent Secretary at the Department of State for Youth, Sports and Religious Affairs in The Gambia, who chaired the opening of the Forum, emphasized the importance of the forum in bringing transformation in the lives of young people in Africa.

By the end of the conference, delegates accepted that the highlighted concerns were obstacles to youth entrepreneurship and employment.

 As a result, the forum made recommendations for the setting up of a network of youth entrepreneurs, restructure and develop agencies for youth employment, encourage IT systems, creation of social security schemes, advocacy, reduction of interest rates, involvement of NGOs in youth entrepreneurship, urging the authorities to adhere to national youth policies and create a unit at the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, that would be mandated to support youth employment initiatives and programmes.

 The creation and strengthening of national youth councils, youth's employment schemes, and exchange of experiences among youth entrepreneurs, were also highlighted at the forum.

 The first edition of the forum was held in Abuja, Nigeria, on August 10 to 16, 2005, on the theme: ‘Harnessing The Potential Of Youth For The Integration Of The Region'.