Youths from across West Africa have urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to finalise and operationalise a regional framework for the use of artificial intelligence by election management bodies.

The youths made the call at the West Africa Youth Democracy Conference in Dakar, Senegal.

Theey raised concerns over the growing influence of digital technologies on electoral processes and the risks posed by artificial intelligence, including deepfakes, disinformation and other forms of digital manipulation.

In a communiqué adopted at the conference and signed by the Founder and Executive Director of the Legis360 Centre for Advocacy, Development and Public Enlightenment Initiative, Samuel Folorunsho, the participants called for clear regional guidelines on the responsible use of AI in elections.

They said the framework should safeguard electoral integrity while addressing the potential misuse of artificial intelligence to manipulate voters, distort political information and undermine confidence in electoral processes.

The participants also urged ECOWAS member states to invest in digital civic education, particularly for young people, to equip citizens with the skills to identify false and manipulated information and use social media responsibly.

They further called on ECOWAS to use diplomatic channels to discourage restrictions on internet and social media access during electoral periods.

The recommendations formed part of broader demands by the youths for reforms to improve political participation and strengthen democratic processes across West Africa.

The conference endorsed the establishment of the West Africa Youth Observers Network as a permanent platform for capacity building, advocacy and exchange among young election observers across the region.

According to the communiqué, the network, known as WAYON, would be anchored to ECOWAS and hosted by the Legis360 Centre, with support from other partners.

It said the network would focus on training, election observation, data collection and information sharing among young observers across ECOWAS member states.

WAYON would have a governance structure comprising a steering committee and focal points in each member state, alongside a digital platform to facilitate communication and coordination.

Its operations would be coordinated by the ECOWAS Commission in collaboration with relevant partners.

The participants said the initiative would provide a structured platform for young people to contribute to electoral integrity and democratic processes beyond individual election periods.

The conference also called on West African governments to adopt measures, including youth quotas, reduced nomination fees and campaign spending limits, to make political participation more accessible to young people.

The participants expressed concern over the absence of binding legal frameworks guaranteeing youth participation, high nomination fees and campaign costs, weak implementation of existing inclusion policies and inadequate monitoring and sanction mechanisms.

They urged political parties to democratise their internal structures, ensure transparent candidate selection processes and open their leadership structures to young people and women.

The participants also called on governments and development partners to invest in youth economic empowerment through employment, entrepreneurship and access to finance.

They said economic constraints could prevent young people from participating effectively in electoral and governance processes.

The conference recommended sustained youth engagement throughout the electoral cycle rather than limiting participation to election periods.

The communiqué noted that young people constitute about 70 per cent of West Africa’s population and are expected to account for an increasing share of the region’s population by 2035.

It also cited findings from ECOWAS Election Observation Missions in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Liberia, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, which it said had repeatedly documented structural exclusion of young people from electoral and governance processes.

The conference further referenced the pilot Mainstreaming Youth into ECOWAS Election Observation Mission project, which integrated 22 young observers from 11 ECOWAS member states during the 2025 presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire.

According to the communiqué, the experience demonstrated that young people could contribute meaningfully to electoral integrity when adequately prepared and empowered.

They also proposed a biennial monitoring mechanism under the auspices of ECOWAS, in collaboration with Legis360 and other partners, to assess progress in implementing the recommendations.