Over 60 delegates from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Member Countries on Wednesday 25th June 2025 started a 2-day ECOWAS Volunteers Forum at the Lagoonda Entertainment Complex, Aberdeen in Freetown.
This is the 7th Edition of the Annual Forum of National Volunteering Agencies in the ECOWAS Region. The theme for this year’s forum is ‘ECOWAS at 50: Scaling Volunteerism for Greater Regional Impact and Unity.”
The theme reminds Member Countries that volunteerism must move to the center stage for the regional development agenda as the forum provides a vital platform to take stock of where they are, share best practices, examine challenges and collectively chart the way forward.
Officially opening the forum, the Minister of Youth Affairs, Mr. Ibrahim Sannoh enlightened that ECOWAS must strive to provide the necessary support to ensure the successful tenure, including through the deployment of ECOWAS volunteers, in the implementation of the pillars of government’s Medium-Term National Development Plan and commended volunteer agencies, partners and civil society actors, for their continued efforts to bring life to ECOWAS’s shared vision.
The Minister also saluted volunteers, past and present, for their courage, passion and unwavering commitment to regional integration revealing that as ECOWAS celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, it must be noted that no achievement has ever been made without people willing to serve, listen and act.
He went on to underline that the forum must serve as the launching pad for real action that places volunteerism at the right place, at the heart of Africa’s transformation.
Currently, there are 21 ECOWAS volunteers in Sierra Leone working in various areas like education, health, agriculture, peacebuilding, youth development and climate action. These volunteers have stood at the heart of the collective efforts of ECOWAS to build bridges across borders, strengthen local capacities and ignite hope in communities.
This spirit led to the bold initiative of the creation of the ECOWAS Volunteers Program in 2004 and its subsequent launch in Monrovia, Liberia in 2010 to mobilize the region’s greatest resources.
Now, over 230 professionals have been deployed as volunteers in close to 600 missions across Member States and institutions of ECOWAS offering their expertise in various disciplines.
Volunteerism has quietly and powerfully advanced the vision of regional integration where the people of West Africa can thrive in unity and dignity.
Earlier in his welcome statement, the Deputy Development Secretary, Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, Mr. Osman Conteh asserted that the volunteers are professionals in various disciplines offering their expertise, that the forum provides the platform to critique, highlight challenges and proffer solutions adding that the scheme would venture into new areas such as climate change and public health.
He also called for the domestication of volunteerism to promote the South-South Cooperation, noted that the scheme is a shining example of a robust regional policy framework that empowers youths, the change makers of today underlining that the scheme would equip youths with skills for the future.
Mr. Conteh went on to state that ECOWAS must provide for Sierra Leone’s Medium Term National Development Plan as well as share the vision of volunteerism to make the difference.
Highlights of the well-attended event were the official opening of the forum, screening of the documentary on ECOWAS Volunteerism and cultural performance by the Sierra Leone National Dance Troop.
