Despite regional and continental commitments to involve young people in preventing conflicts and building peace, their participation in decisions affecting security and governance remains limited in many parts of West Africa, stakeholders have warned.

The Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) Principal Programme Officer and Head of Mediation Coordination and Regional Political Affairs, Dr Onyinye Onwuka, said meaningful youth participation must move beyond policy declarations to create tangible opportunities for young people to contribute to peacebuilding.

She emphasised the need for discussions to be grounded in evidence and local realities, noting that National Action Plans on Youth, Peace and Security were essential to translating continental commitments into action at country level.

Her remarks came at a two-day regional consultation convened by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) in Accra, Ghana, from October 26 to 27. The meeting reviewed progress in implementing the Continental Framework on Youth, Peace and Security (CFYPS) and its 10-year implementation plan.

The consultation brought together national youth and peacebuilding representatives, civil society organisations, youth-led networks, regional institutions and development partners to examine how far the framework’s commitments have translated into practical opportunities for young people to influence peace and security processes.

The discussions focused on identifying implementation gaps at continental, regional and national levels, documenting existing good practices and developing evidence-based recommendations to strengthen the agenda through 2029 and beyond.

The emphasis on national implementation reflects one of the central concerns surrounding the framework: the existence of regional policy commitments does not automatically guarantee that young people are represented in national peace and security institutions or adequately supported to participate in them.

Head of the Women, Youth, Peace and Security component under the EU Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance project, Mrs Enobong Moma, said policy frameworks could only deliver results when they were nationally owned, sustainably financed and backed by effective monitoring and evaluation.

She said the consultation provided an opportunity to take stock of implementation, identify what was working and what required improvement, and make adjustments to ensure that the commitments produced meaningful outcomes.

WANEP Regional Youth, Peace and Security Coordinator, Ms. Da-do Noviekou, said young people should be involved from the beginning of peace and security processes rather than consulted after decisions have already been made.

She highlighted limited participation in decision-making, socioeconomic difficulties, misinformation, hate speech and restrictions on civic space as persistent barriers to youth engagement. She also cited WANEP’s regional peace education programme, which operates across 15 West African countries, as part of efforts to strengthen young people’s understanding of peacebuilding.

Her position points to a distinction between recognising young people as important stakeholders and giving them a meaningful role in shaping decisions. While young people are often mobilised for community peace initiatives, their access to formal decision-making spaces and the resources needed to sustain their contributions remain important concerns.

Representing Ghana’s Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, Nuzrat Aba Sam called for greater investment in youth development, expanded opportunities and stronger participation in governance, peacebuilding and development.

The consultation examined progress across the five priority areas of the continental framework: participation, prevention, protection, partnerships and coordination, and disengagement and reintegration. These areas are intended to provide a coordinated approach to involving young people in preventing violence, protecting those affected by conflict and supporting sustainable peace.

The framework, adopted by the African Union in 2020 alongside its 10-year implementation plan for 2020–2029, seeks to facilitate meaningful youth engagement in peace and security at national, regional and continental levels. It also encourages member states to develop youth-led and youth-centred initiatives, including National Action Plans aligned with their national development priorities.

However, the Accra discussions highlighted institutional, financial, technical and policy constraints that continue to affect implementation. Weak coordination and monitoring were also identified as issues requiring attention if commitments are to translate into measurable progress.

African Union Commission Youth for Peace Programme representative, Ms Paska Nyaboth, said the outcome of the assessment was expected to be presented at the annual open session of the AU Peace and Security Council on Youth, Peace and Security.

The consultation forms part of a broader series of five regional engagements being organised by the African Union Commission and regional economic communities and mechanisms to strengthen ownership, coordination, accountability and sustainability in implementing the continental framework.

It received technical and financial support from Germany, the European Union and Denmark through the African Union Support Programme in Peace and Security and the EU Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance projects, both implemented by the German development agency, GIZ.

The exercise is expected to provide evidence-based recommendations for improving implementation beyond the current review period. But the central test for the participating institutions and governments will be whether the concerns raised translate into stronger national action, adequate resources and genuine opportunities for young people to influence decisions on preventing and resolving conflicts.

For a region facing complex peace and security pressures, stakeholders argued, young people must be recognised not simply as people affected by conflict, but as partners capable of helping prevent violence, strengthen community resilience and sustain peace.