The Directorate of Education, Science, and Culture, Department of Human Development and Social Affairs of the ECOWAS Commission organized a regional sensitization workshop on the ECOWAS Program on the Recognition and Equivalence of Certificates in the Region from the 8th to 10th December 2022 in Lomé, Togo.

The opening ceremony of the workshop was delivered by the Director, Education, Science, and Culture (ESC), Prof. Abdoulaye MAGA who was ably represented by the Head of the Division, of Scientific Research & Innovation, who stated that the workshop is borne out of the desire of the Management of the ECOWAS Commission to sensitize experts from the Member States, University Regulatory Bodies, and Partner Organization in the Region on the ECOWAS Program on the Recognition and Equivalence of Certificates in general and in particular the Benchmarks and the Framework documents.

Also featured during the opening session is the goodwill message by UNESCO’s representative from its Regional Office in Abuja, Mr. Albert Mendy who reiterated the support of UNESCO to ECOWAS on the Equivalence of Certificates in the Region. In addition, he highlighted the continued collaboration between UNESCO and ECOWAS especially in the area of Education and Human Capital Development with particular emphasis on the implementation of Addis Convention as well as the ECOWAS Convention on the Recognition and Equivalence of Certificates.

The opening statement on behalf of the Minister of Higher Education and Research, Togo was presented by Prof. LAWSON-EVI Povi who also cochaired the workshop alongside the Expert from Guinea Bissau. In her speech, she applauded the ECOWAS Commission for spearheading the long process of ensuring mutual recognition and equivalence of certificates in the region. She emphasized the importance of having a mechanism in place for the multilateral recognition of qualifications and their equivalence, as this would help to promote high mobility of students, teachers, and researchers, and strengthen regional integration. She concluded by charging the experts to take the key messages to their respective countries and organizations, after which she declared the workshop open.

The key documents on the ECOWAS Program on the Recognition and Equivalence of Certificates were presented during the sensitization workshop notably the Benchmarks and the Framework, including the published document on the ECOWAS Program on the Recognition and Equivalence of Certificates in the Region.

The three-day workshop was concluded on a good note of commitments by the participants to continue to support ECOWAS in sensitizing relevant stakeholders in their respective Member States, and to ensure that the Benchmark and the Framework documents on the Equivalence of Certificates are optimally utilized.