Abuja, Nigeria, September 4, 2022. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) through the Human Development and Social Affairs Department of the Commission of the said Organization, is organizing from 6 to 7 September 2022 in Lomé, TOGO, a meeting for the validation of the Feasibility Study Report on the ECOWAS Education Agency.

The objective of the meeting is to validate the draft final report of the feasibility study on the most cost-effective way to set up and manage the ECOWAS Education Agency in an effective and sustainable manner.

During two days, regional experts from the 15 ECOWAS Member States will review the full policy progress report, Education strategies and practices in the different Member States of the Organization as well as proposed necessary methodology and approach, as well as requirements (infrastructure, equipment, organization chart, personnel and budget) for the establishment of the ECOWAS Education Agency.

It is expected that at the end of this important meeting, relevant recommendations on the establishment and viability of the Agency and the appropriate strategy for resources mobilization will be made.

As a reminder, it was the ECOWAS Ministers of Education meeting in 2017 that reviewed the results of previous consultations and recommended the creation of a ECOWAS Regional Education Agency. Following the recommendations of the ministers, the Council and the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Regional Organization, met in December 2017 and adopted the creation of the ECOWAS Specialized Agency for Education.

It should also be noted that other important documents have all justified the creation of the ECOWAS Education Agency, namely: (i) the revised ECOWAS Treaty; (ii) the ECOWAS Protocol on Education and Training article 11 and the ECOWAS Convention on the Recognition and Equivalence of Certificates; (iii) ECOWAS Vision 2050; (iv) the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and (V) the African Agenda 2063.