By Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has identified Job Creation as a major key for the development of the ECOWAS region. The Speaker ECOWAS Parliament Moustapha Cisse Lo stated this at the opening of the Delocalized meeting of the Joint Committee on Communication and Information Technology, Education, Science & Technology, Labour, Employment, Youth, Sports and Culture in Guinea Conakry.
The speaker said the Delocalized meeting is aimed at ensuring that the committees come up with recommendations that will bring about job creation in the ECOWAS region through Entrepreneurship and the Development of Small Medium Enterprises, SMEs.
Mr Moustapha Cisse Lo, said the meeting will also renew the parliaments commitment in developing strategies for economic integration.
He said the consideration and the adoption of draft report and recommendations of the Committees would be done at the plenary session of the ECOWAS parliament meeting to be held in Nigeria next month.
The Representative of the ECOWAS commission, Mrs. Liliane Alapini said that the issue of unemployment is at the heart of the region’s integration pursuit.
She decried the failure of policies in terms of job creation and unemployment as being responsible for the rate of illegal Migration in West Africa.
She urged the committee to strengthen policies on Small and Medium Enterprises in the region.
The Guinean Minister of Industry and Small and Medium Enterprises Mr Tibou Camara said that unemployment is a’ time bomb’ that must be tackled for economic growth and development of West Africa.
The country representative of UNIDO Mr. Ansoumane Berete said that industrialization is paramount in eradicating poverty in the ECOWAS region.
He added that UNIDO is determined in helping young entrepreneurs develop their skills and potentials through proper training.
The theme for the Delocalized meeting is “Job Creation in the ECOWAS region through Entrepreneurship and the Development of SMEs.