Quality Management Training

The Objectives of the programme are as follows:

Objectives

Enterprises are supported to
• Improve their QMS
• Monitor them continually
• Qualify their production process for selected appropriate tradable products in the field of agribusiness, like i.e. mangos, cashew nuts, and coffee.

Contents

• Quality assurance, quality management and international standards

Target Group

• Executives from enterprises and business support bodies (i.e. chambers and associations)

Possible Results

• An improved quality management system, less complaints, more product safety, access to new regional / international markets

Youth Development

The Objectives of the programme are as follows:

• To promote youth development and empowerment in the region
• To mobilize youth to contribute effectively to economic, social and cultural development and integration
• Implementation of the ECOWAS Youth Policy and Strategic Plan of Action
• Capacity building workshops on topical issues like – Entrepreneurship and Enterprise development, skills acquisition and training etc.
• Mobilization of to participate regional socio-cultural activities like ECOWAS Peace Pageant, recreational sports activities.

Drug Control

The overall objective of the ECOWAS’ drug program is to considerably reduce the incidence of drug trafficking, drug abuse and related organized crime on peace, security, economic and human development in ECOWAS Member States. The immediate objective (or purpose) of the drug programme is to gradually establish a sustained regional capacity to monitor, coordinate and harmonize drug policies in West Africa in line with the ECOWAS Political Declaration, Regional Action and Operational Plans. In order to achieve this objective, four main results are envisaged for the duration of the Regional Action Plan.

• Improved ECOWAS drug advisory, monitoring and coordination capacityHarmonized data on drug abuse epidemiology and data collection
• Identification and diffusion of good regional practices on drug prevention and treatment
• Improved regional law enforcement and judicial cooperation

Sports Development

The Objectives of the programme are as follows:

• To promote sports as an instrument for peace, integration, recreation and development
• To promote, initiate and encourage sporting activities in the community.
• To mobilize resources from partners and build the capacity of member states in sports development
• To reinforce cooperation in the field of youth and sports by fostering the exchange of best practices, training and the development of innovative actions at the Community level.

Child Development

The Objectives of the programme are as follows:

• To facilitate the development, welfare and rights of children in the region.
• To develop programmes that would promote the welfare and rights of children
• To ensure Member States adherence to the Convention on the Rights of the Child
• To strengthen the capacities of Social Services providers and other child care agencies for the greater development, protection and care of children.

Civil Society

Overall Objective: To support the participation CSOs and their respective constituencies in promoting regional integration issues through research, policy analysis, networking, lobby and advocacy.

Specific Objectives:To support the establishment of regional CSO forums and thematic areas for the exchange of information, ideas and dissemination of good practices.

• To strengthen the role of WASCOF as an interface between ECOWAS and CSOs forums/thematic groups in the region
• To support networking, harmonization of interventions, and clear definitions of areas of specialization by national, trans-national and regional organizations
• To support CSOs capacity building for advocacy and resource mobilization

Gender Development

The Objectives of Gender and Development Programme are as follows:

• To promote gender equality;
• To support women empowerment and promote affirmative programmes to address gender imbalances;
• To promote mainstreaming of a gender perspective in the work of ECOWAS at the organizational level and at the Members’ states level;
• To support technical and social innovations that contributes to women empowerment and improved quality of life for ECOWAS women and men;
• To support and promote the human rights of women and girls; and to foster constructive dialogue between women and men in the sub-region

Employment

The Objectives of the programme are as follows:

• To promote and enhance job creation, appropriate skills and decent work particularly for youths in the region
• To provide a conducive environment for job creation and employment particularly for youths in the region.
• To develop the capacities and skills of youth and empower them to be self-sufficient and live decent lives

Business Incubator for African Women Entrepreuners Empowerment (Biawe)

General objective of Business Incubator:The business incubator seeks to provide capacity building, technical assistance, and financial support to emerging rural women entrepreneurs who face constraints that make it difficult to sustain their businesses. The overall goal of the ECOWAS BIAWE project is to provide an enabling environment, and needed support for women in rural communities to establish their businesses successfully, and increase the rate of sustainabilitySpecific Objectives of the Business Incubators:

• To strengthen the capacity of rural women to engage in their livelihood strategies
• To provide business support services to rural women entrepreneurs
• To increase value-added processing of traditional products
• To provide business management skills; access to financial services and capacity building
• To share knowledge on conformity to quality norms and standards
• To create employment through small business development and acceleration of growth
• To mentor younger rural women entrepreneurs