By Fatou Sillah
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Friday launched ECOWAS School Clubs in The Gambia as part of a broader initiative aimed at promoting regional integration, increasing awareness of the bloc’s mission, and strengthening youth engagement across West Africa.
The initiative was unveiled during a field awareness campaign and stakeholder dialogue held at a hotel in Kololi. The event brought together government officials, ECOWAS representatives, educators, students, and other stakeholders to discuss the role of young people in advancing regional cooperation.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, described the establishment of the school clubs as a significant step toward deepening regional awareness among the country’s youth.
“Having ECOWAS clubs in the Gambia is a very important initiative because it will create the entire ecosystem where young people can be trained to understand exactly where they are from and what they need to do to develop their communities and their society but also their region,” Dr. Ceesay said.
He noted that the clubs are designed to help students better understand the principles of ECOWAS integration while encouraging them to play active roles in community and regional development.
Dr. Ceesay also stressed the importance of strengthening people-to-people relations across West Africa, arguing that regional integration can only succeed if citizens understand and embrace the vision of ECOWAS.
“ECOWAS is ECOWAS because of the people who design the policies, but also those who implement those policies,” he said.
Veteran politician Hon. Halifa Sallah also addressed participants, highlighting the importance of critical thinking and the dangers posed by misinformation.
He warned that misinformation undermines public understanding and weakens informed decision-making, emphasizing the need for evidence-based communication in public discourse.
“Misinformation is a weapon. It is weaponized to mislead, and it is an enemy to clarity and consciousness. Only somebody who is subjected to miseducation can be misinformed,” Sallah said.
The launch of the ECOWAS School Clubs forms part of the regional body’s efforts to cultivate a new generation of informed and engaged citizens who understand the objectives of regional integration and are committed to advancing peace, cooperation, and sustainable development across West Africa.
Comments are closed.