Through a strategic partnership with the Senegalese National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) reaffirms its commitment to the success of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG). This support takes the form of significant financial and technical assistance, the deployment of young West African volunteers, capacity-building initiatives for young people, and a regional mobilisation effort aimed at making this historic event a showcase for the integration, solidarity and dynamism of West African youth.

ECOWAS’s commitment to the Dakar YOG was evident from the very start at the official opening ceremony of the Games on Saturday 31^st of October at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio, through the notable presence of H.E. General Birame DIOP, President of the ECOWAS Commission, and the Honourable Nassirou Arifari BAKO, ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs. Their participation alongside H.E. Mr Bassirou Diomaye FAYE, President of the Republic of Senegal and current Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, as well as numerous leading figures from the Olympic movement, notably the President of the International Olympic Committee, Ms Kirsty COVENTRY, and members of the international community, demonstrates the strategic importance that ECOWAS attaches to this global event dedicated to young people.

West Africa was particularly well represented by the presence of the Transitional President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, H.E. General Horta NTA, and the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, H.E. Dr Julius MAADA BIO. The President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, H.E. Mr Mohamed OULD GHAZOUANI, H.E. Mr Paul KAGAME, President of the Republic of Rwanda, and H.E. Mr Azali ASSOUMANI of the Union of the Comoros also took part in this major celebration, thereby reinforcing the regional and African dimension of the event.

This strong commitment from ECOWAS forms part of the partnership established with the CNOSS, which has enabled the regional organisation to provide significant financial and technical support for the organisation of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. Through this contribution, ECOWAS reaffirms its commitment to supporting Senegal in ensuring the success of the first Olympic event organised on the African continent and to making this competition a catalyst for human development and regional integration.

As part of this partnership, ECOWAS also supports training for young people on various sport-related topics, including leadership, civic engagement, Olympic values, social cohesion and community spirit. One of the Commission’s major initiatives is the full sponsorship of twenty-four (24) young volunteers from ECOWAS Member States. Deployed across all the Games venues, these volunteers play an active role in welcoming, guiding, supervising and providing logistical support, whilst embodying the ideals of solidarity, fraternity and integration that underpin the West African community.

Among the flagship initiatives supported by ECOWAS is also the Regional Youth Forum, held earlier this year in Saly. This meeting enabled young participants from several Member States to discuss the role of sport as a catalyst for human development, the promotion of peace, social cohesion, employability, entrepreneurship and regional integration. This was followed by an awareness-raising forum for Ambassadors and the Presidents/Secretaries-General of the National Olympic Committees of the Member States; and a training camp for athletes from Member States to enhance their prospects and performance at the Youth Olympic Games.

Building on this momentum, ECOWAS will be running the ECOWAS Village throughout the second week of the Games – a space for information, activities, dialogue and sharing, specially designed for young participants, visitors and the general public. Serving as a genuine platform for engagement with young people, this village will showcase ECOWAS’s missions, objectives, programmes and achievements in support of youth, employment, entrepreneurship, volunteering, education, mobility and human development across Member States.

Through all these initiatives, ECOWAS reaffirms its conviction that young people remain West Africa’s greatest asset and the driving force behind its sustainable development. The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games thus represent a unique opportunity to strengthen young people’s engagement, promote the values of peace and solidarity and consolidate regional integration for the benefit of present and future generations.

It is worth noting that, prior to the official opening of the Games, Dakar witnessed several highlights. The Youth Olympic Flame completed its journey in the Senegalese capital, just as the country was hosting, on the morning of the 31^st of October, the Dakar Summit on Sport and Sustainable Development – a platform dedicated to the power of sport for education, inclusion, health and the empowerment of young people.