The promotion of youth employability in the agro-forestry-pastoral and fisheries sector and the promotion of local milk are two of the ECOWAS Commission top priorities. Subsequently, the Commission mobilises and invites stakeholders and partners to address them.

With the financial support of the Swiss Co-operation in the framework of the regional support programme for producer organisations on youth employability, the region was able to set in motion a dynamic with a very strong involvement of networks of professional organisations and the Civil Society.

Faced with the huge challenge of youth employability for instance, the ECOWAS Commission adopted in 2019 (i) a regional strategy for youth employability, (ii) priority investment programmes for massive job creation, and (iii) specific mobilising projects for the benefit of regional professional organisations and Member States. By 2030, the strategy anticipates that at least 30% of young people will be employed in the sector, a 75% reduction in youth underemployment in rural areas and a 75% reduction in young people subject to emigration. It will be deployed through the priority investment programme and the 12 specific mobilising programmes of the 12 regional professional organisations. The action is based on the urgent need to involve the networks of regional professional organisations and the sector ministries in the operationalisation process of the strategy.

The same applies to the promotion of local milk, a concern expressed in the form of a "regional offensive" after the one initiated on rice in 2015. Collaborative work also allowed to develop a regional strategy as well as a priority investment programme respectively with the European Union and the Swiss Cooperation financial supports. The strategy aims to promote an emerging West Africa among the continent dairy basins and gradually increase its contribution to regional trade in dairy products. It aims to double the volume of local fresh milk production to 10 billion litres per year by 2030. The investment programme proposes development schemes for the different links in the chain to be scaled up throughout the region. It is structured around (i) improving the productivity of livestock systems, (ii) collection, processing, and marketing, (iii) a favourable environment and (iv) coordination and facilitation of its implementation.

For ECOWAS, it is important that the youth and women (often active in the dairy sector) who constitute the labour force, become more involved in the agro-forestry-pastoral and fisheries sector, the main driving force behind the region economy and development. Youth employability will also enable, among other things, to reduce their uncontrolled emigration from the region and the continent, their exposure to the risk of integrating criminal groups and thus, strengthen peace and stability in the region which already faces many scourges, including civil insecurity and the coronavirus pandemic.