ILO and WAEMU strengthen cooperation on youth employment

Youth employment

ILO and WAEMU strengthen cooperation on youth employment

The ILO and WAEMU held high-level discussions in Ouagadougou to advance a joint programme aimed at promoting decent employment for young people in the WAEMU region over the period 2026-2030.

6 February 2026

ILO and WAEMU delegations meet at WAEMU Commission headquarters in Ouagadougou for high-level discussions on joint programme to support youth employment, 3 February 2026 © OIT

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OUAGADOUGOU (ILO News) - The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their partnership in support of youth employment, following a high-level meeting held on 3 February 2026 at the WAEMU Commission headquarters in Ouagadougou.

The ILO delegation was received by the President of the WAEMU Commission, Abdoulaye Diop, in the presence of Union Commissioners. Discussions focused mainly on the joint ILO-WAEMU programme to support youth employment (2026-2030), which is currently being formulated.

The ILO delegation was led by Coffi Dominique Agossou, Deputy Regional Director of the ILO Regional Office for Africa. It also included Ndeye Coumba Diop, Director of the ILO Country Office for Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Togo, as well as Jonas Bausch, Youth Employment Specialist, and Karim Toumi, Skills and Employability Specialist.

The ILO and WAEMU Commission delegations during their high-level discussions in Ouagadougou on strengthening cooperation to promote decent job creation for young people in the WAEMU region.

The joint programme aims to contribute to sustainable access to decent and productive employment for young women and men aged 15 to 35 in WAEMU member states. It is structured around several complementary areas, including stimulating demand for jobs, improving the productivity of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, strengthening the employability of young people, improving the quality of employment and strengthening labour market governance.

Presenting the key aims of the initiative, Mr. Agossou emphasised that "this joint programme reflects a shared ambition to respond in a structured and regional manner to the persistent challenges of youth employment, combining political leadership, technical expertise and international labour standards."

For her part, Ms. Diop highlighted the operational dimension of the programme: "The objective is to produce concrete results for young people, particularly young women, by helping to strengthen the links between skills, productive investment and decent job opportunities, in line with the national and regional priorities of the WAEMU."

President Abdoulaye Diop praised the quality of cooperation between the ILO and the WAEMU Commission and reaffirmed the Union's commitment to implementing the programme. The technical teams of both institutions will continue their work to finalise the programme document and prepare for its launch.

Coffi Dominique Agossou, Deputy Regional Director of the ILO Regional Office for Africa, and Ndeye Coumba Diop, Director of the ILO Country Office in Abidjan, alongside the President of the WAEMU Commission, after their discussions.