The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has called for the overhaul of the region’s educational system to meet the aspirations of the people and the needs of the economies.
Prof. Komi Selom Klassou, President of the National Assembly of Togo, warned that failure to align will lead to a disconnect that hinders productivity, competitiveness, and stability in the region.
Klassou spoke on Monday in Lome, Togo, at the opening of a joint committee delocalised meeting in Lome, Togo.
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The meeting has the theme: “Strengthening Curriculum Alignment with Socio-Economic Needs of the ECOWAS Region”.
Klassou said the theme of the Lome meeting is an invitation for the sub-region to rethink its educational systems in the face of technological developments, the mismatch of skills with the job market, and emerging industrial diversification.
Klassou, who was represented by the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, said, “Education is the foundation of any prosperous nation. Through it, we shape not only minds and bodies but also the future of our societies.
“This theme is a call to action. It urges us to transform our demographic wealth, this dynamic youth, into a lever for building a prosperous future. This involves overhauling our educational programs so that they meet the aspirations of our people and the needs of our economies.
“This call requires us to reclaim our historical and intellectual narrative, revive pride in our cultural heritage, the foundation of our identity, and redefine our teaching programs so that they truly serve our own aspirations.”
In his remarks, Hon. Kweku George Hagan from Ghana and also Chairman of the Committee on Education, Science and Culture, stressed that education remains the most strategic lever for sustainable development.
He, however, said that “its transformative power depends not merely on access, but on relevance.”
He therefore warned that the region’s educational system must adapt to a fast-evolving landscape characterised by rapid population growth, technological disruption, youth unemployment, and climate vulnerability.
“Currently, our labour markets are shifting faster than our curriculum. The widening gap between training and opportunity created a troubling paradox: vacancies without skilled disconnect between what we teach and what our economies demand,” he added.
To unlock the demographic dividends of the regional youth population, Hagan said there must be a shift from a credential-oriented system to a competency-driven framework.
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