The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission on Friday, 14 November 2025 launched Phase II of the Pan-African Consortium for Master’s Degrees in Translation and Conference Interpreting (PAMCIT). The event was held at the headquarters of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) in Lomé, Togo and also featured scholarship awards to students from Gaston Berger University in Saint Louis, Senegal, and a pledge to support the University of Lomé, Togo, in meeting the challenges associated with degree programmes in Translation and Conference Interpreting.

With the theme “Promoting regional integration: institutional and academic cooperation in the service of multilingualism,” the event is part of the ECOWAS 50th anniversary celebrations. It was chaired by H.E. Damtien Larbli Tchintchibidja, Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, in the presence of the President of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), Dr George Agyekum Donkor, the new ECOWAS Resident Representative in Togo, H.E. Madam Deweh Emily Gray, the Head of the ECOWAS National Office in Togo, Mr Lagnie Bambimle and Mrs Olukemi Robinson-Atabuh, Director of Conference and Protocol at the ECOWAS Commission and institutional chair of PAMCIT II. Also in attendance were representatives of partner universities and guests from various walks of life.

In their welcome addresses, Dr George Agyekum Donkor and Mr Lagnie Bambimle stressed the importance of such a programme for students. It will prepare them to become experts to work in international organisations,  ultimately promoting local expertise and reducing dependence on foreign expertise.

The Director of Conference and Protocol at the ECOWAS Commission and institutional chair of PAMCIT II, Ms Olukemi Robinson-Atabuh, praised the commitment of ECOWAS senior officials, including the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr Omar Alieu Touray, to supporting PAMCIT II and increasing funding programmes targeting young people in the region. She highlighted the relevance of PAMCIT, noting that “for decades, our continent has been heavily dependent on external institutions for the professional training of interpreters and translators.” She also praised the role played by the BIDC in PAMCIT.

In her speech launching PAMCIT II, H.E. Damtien L. Tchintchibidja expressed the ECOWAS Commission’s clear commitment to ensuring the success of PAMCIT II by awarding scholarships to deserving West African nationals according to clearly defined criteria. She spoke on the technical support to the University of Lomé to improve teacher mobility, the harmonisation of curricula and ensuring that universities offer degrees of the same level to students from different universities.

She also stated that ECOWAS will coordinate the work of the PAMCIT Task Force, including the harmonisation of curricula, the mobility of interpretation and translation trainers, and technical support from the University of Lomé, among other activities.

Furthermore, Vice President Tchintchibidja sent a strong message to the Community: “With the launch of the programme today, let us remember that translation and interpreting go beyond words and speeches. Translators and interpreters build bridges and foster dialogue between different cultures and peoples. With PAMCIT II, we are investing in the interpreters of our aspirations and the translators of our common destiny. Let us never lose sight of the fact that translators and interpreters are not only facilitators of communication, but also the true architects of dialogue. They bear the noble responsibility, through words and ideas, of facilitating cooperation and dialogue in unity.”

H.E. Damitien L. Tchintchibidja then proceeded to open the ceremony before expressing hope that the new phase would mark a decisive turning point in the construction of an Africa where every voice can be heard, every language can be expressed and every institution can function effectively across linguistic borders. ‘With PAMCIT, Africa continues to affirm that multilingualism is not a barrier, but a bridge to unity, knowledge and progress,’ she concluded.

In his closing speech, the language coordinator, Mr Alphousseyni Diamanka, noted that for ECOWAS, the programme is directly aligned with the mission to promote regional integration, peace and development through multilingual dialogue and cooperation. In a region as linguistically diverse as West Africa, PAMCIT equips our professionals with the skills they need to overcome language barriers, enabling effective communication in diplomacy, trade and governance, peace and security, among other areas.

Tthe Pan-African Consortium for the Master’s Degree in Conference Interpreting and Translation (PAMCIT) was launched in 2009 as a strategic initiative to strengthen Africa’s capacity for high-level language services, with the support of the European Union and the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON).

PAMCIT is implemented by a network of five African universities, each offering a Master’s degree in Conference Interpreting and/or a Master’s degree in Translation to the best students in the faculties of interpreting and translation. The current member universities of the network are Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis, Senegal,  the University of Ghana in Legon, Ghana, Universidade Jean-Piaget in Cabo Verde, the University of Lomé in Togo,the University of Buea in Cameroon, the University of Nairobi in Kenya and Universidade Pedagógica de Moçambique in Mozambique.

The programme was designed to equip African language professionals with the skills necessary to work in international organisations, regional bodies such as ECOWAS and the African Union, and other multilingual institutions. It was also designed to forestall the need for young Africans to leave the continent to pursue internationally recognised professional training.