ILO, WAEMU Boost Cooperation on Youth Jobs

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.

Réunion de haut niveau réunissant les délégations de l'Organisation internationale du Travail et de l'Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine autour d'une table de conférence à Ouagadougou, avec les drapeaux des États membres de l'UEMOA en arrière-plan. — 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 et Ndeye Coumba Diop, responsables de l'Organisation internationale du Travail, posent aux côtés du Président de la Commission de l'UEMOA lors d'une rencontre officielle à Ouagadougou — 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.

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