The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says it will deploy youth election observers alongside its traditional observation missions for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

Head of the ECOWAS Electoral Assistance Division, Serigne Mamadou Ka, disclosed this in Abuja during the fifth edition of the Sectoral Reflection Series on Elections and Democracy organised by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) in collaboration with Legis360.

Ka said the initiative was designed to strengthen youth participation in electoral and political processes across the West African region. He explained that the youth observation model had already been piloted in Côte d’Ivoire and subsequently replicated in Benin.

According to him, ECOWAS plans to extend the initiative to upcoming elections in Cabo Verde and The Gambia before deploying it for Nigeria’s 2027 polls. “Definitely, we are not going to leave Nigeria out in January,” Ka said.

The ECOWAS official also urged political parties across the region to create more opportunities for young people to participate in their internal structures and decision-making processes. He identified access to finance as a major obstacle to meaningful youth participation in politics, alongside social and cultural barriers, gender bias, inadequate training and weaknesses in internal party democracy.

Ka noted that young people make up a significant proportion of the population across West Africa but remain underrepresented in electoral and political processes. He said ECOWAS would continue to promote greater inclusivity while encouraging young people themselves to become more organised and committed to demanding representation.

Also speaking, PAACA Executive Director, Ezenwa Nwagwu, said integrating young people into ECOWAS election observation missions would help strengthen democratic participation. He urged prospective youth observers to acquire adequate knowledge of electoral laws and regulations, stressing that election observation must be conducted within the legal framework governing the electoral process.