ECOWAS Commission trains Youths On Entrepreneurship, Leadership
Princess-Ekwi Ajide Abuja
As part of its strategies to promote inclusiveness, empowerment, and self-reliance while reducing unemployment and fostering peace and stability in the region, the ECOWAS Commission is training youths from across the West African region to develop entrepreneurship and leadership skills.
The three-day workshop known as Influence of Africa Youth Boot Camp, which is holding Lomé, Togo is featuring sessions on self-discovery, reviews of professional development, mentoring as well as re-branding for sustainable growth and community development.
The youths are also to acquire the wherewithal and tools to unlock new opportunities for impact in their careers, businesses, or social enterprises and be useful citizens of their countries and the regional community.
Declaring the Workshop open, the ECOWAS Permanent Representative in Togo, BarBarcar Banjai challenged the participants to take full reins of the sessions to truly develop their potentials, talents and sharpen their skills to boost the desired leadership qualities.
According to him, the training is coming as a response to the challenges of youths all over the African continent such as unemployment which is now paving way for terrorists to take hold of communities.
The opening day presentations co-faciltated by Dr. Margaret Ellis of the Coaches of Influence Foundation (COIF) include modules on influence and leadership, presentations on ECOWAS Vision 2050 as well as youth developmental strides presented by Messers Constant Gnacadja and Kennedy Barsisa both of the ECOWAS Commission.
The training recipients are expected to set and execute community impactful goals which can be achieved through relationship building, networking and collaboration in the coming months and years.
The youths are also expected to acquire necessary life skills in growth related areas such as health care, time management, resources management, leadership values and effective communication, among others.
The Boot Camp which includes leadership and entrepreneurship training had already taken place in Cote d’Ivoire in November, last year, and was followed by virtual group and private coaching sessions from December, 2022 through January, February and March, 2023.
The Lomé workshop with the theme: Inclusive Leadership and entrepreneurship, is the final session of the training that brings phase III of the programme to its completion.
