The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has announced plans to deploy youth election observers alongside its traditional observation missions for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The Head of the ECOWAS Electoral Assistance Division, Serigne Ka, disclosed this in Abuja during the fifth edition of the Sectoral Reflection Series on Elections and Democracy, organized by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) in collaboration with Legis360.
Ka said the initiative was part of ECOWAS’ broader efforts to strengthen youth participation in electoral and political processes across West Africa.
According to him, the youth election observation initiative was first piloted successfully in Côte d’Ivoire before being replicated in the Republic of Benin.
He explained that ECOWAS would next deploy the initiative in Cabo Verde for its November elections and The Gambia for its December polls, before extending it to Nigeria.
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“Definitely, we are not going to leave Nigeria out in January,” Ka said.
The ECOWAS official called on political parties across the region to provide greater opportunities for young people to participate in their structures and decision-making processes.
He noted that despite young people making up a significant proportion of the population, they remained largely underrepresented in electoral and political activities.
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Ka identified access to finance as one of the biggest obstacles limiting meaningful youth participation in politics.
“There are many barriers. There are social and cultural barriers, and we have gender bias against women and girls, for instance. But I think the nerve of everything is finance,” he said.
“Unless young people can access finance, I don’t think they can do much about political participation.”
He stressed that while ECOWAS would continue to promote inclusivity within democratic processes, young people must also take responsibility by demanding greater representation within political parties and electoral institutions.
Youth Participation Critical to Democracy
Also speaking at the event, the Executive Director of PAACA, Ezenwa Nwagwu, described the inclusion of young people in ECOWAS election observation missions as an important step towards strengthening democratic participation.
Nwagwu said greater youth involvement could also help counter what he described as the growing attraction of authoritarian rule among some young people.
He, however, urged young Nigerians who would participate in election observation missions to acquire adequate knowledge of electoral laws, regulations and procedures.
According to him, elections should not be viewed merely as political activities, but as processes governed by clearly established legal and regulatory frameworks.
He therefore stressed the importance of ensuring that election observers understand the rules governing the electoral process before participating in monitoring activities.
The planned deployment of youth observers is expected to provide young people with greater exposure to electoral monitoring while giving them a more active role in safeguarding democratic processes ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
