The Economic Community of West African States has announced plans to include youth observers in its election monitoring mission for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
Serigne Ka, head of the ECOWAS electoral assistance division, disclosed this in Abuja while speaking at the fifth sectoral reflection series on elections and democracy organised by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa in partnership with Legis360.
According to Ka, the initiative is aimed at increasing the involvement of young people in electoral activities and political processes across the region.
He said ECOWAS had already tested the youth election observation model successfully in Côte d’Ivoire before extending it to the Republic of Benin.
The official added that the regional bloc would deploy youth observers for elections scheduled to hold in Cabo Verde in November and The Gambia in December.
“Definitely, we are not going to leave Nigeria out in January,” he added.
Ka also called on political parties in West Africa to create more room for young people within their structures, noting that youths remain poorly represented in politics despite making up a significant portion of the population.
He identified funding as one of the biggest obstacles preventing young people from becoming more involved in political activities.
“There are many barriers. There are social and cultural barriers, and we have gender bias against women and girls, for instance. But I think the nerve of everything is finance,” he said.
“Unless young people can access finance, I don’t think they can do much about political participation.”
The ECOWAS official said political parties had a responsibility to provide opportunities for young people to participate in their internal activities and decision-making processes.
While assuring that ECOWAS would continue to support greater inclusion in elections and political affairs, Ka said young people must also take an active role in demanding increased representation.
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Also speaking at the event, Ezenwa Nwagwu, executive director of PAACA, said involving young people in ECOWAS election observation missions would help strengthen democratic participation.
He added that greater youth involvement could also help address the growing attraction of authoritarian systems among some young people.
Nwagwu, however, advised youths who participate in election observation to familiarise themselves with relevant electoral laws and regulations.
He warned that election observation should not be treated simply as an activity, stressing that elections operate within established legal and regulatory frameworks.