Amid loud applause, excitement and hopes for a better future, several hundreds of young people, experts, ministers of education and health and partners welcomed West and Central Africa’s Commitment for Educated, Healthy and Thriving Adolescents and Young People at the Grand Kintele Hotel in Brazzaville, Congo. 

It was a great sigh of relief and exclamations of unimaginable achievement when finally, the commitment, endorsed by the Ministers of Health and Education was read to an expectant crowd of young people and experts attending the commitment ceremony from the 24 Member States of the West and Central Africa Region. 

The statement read: “We, the Ministers of Education and Health of West and Central Africa (WCA), meeting in Kintélé, on 6 April 2023, have agreed on the proclamation of the commitment to educated, healthy and thriving adolescents and young people…Proclaim our vision of, and commitment to, a West and Central Africa where all adolescents and young people possess the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values they need to transition to adulthood, maintain healthy and respectful relationships with others, and be prepared to become active, empowered, and responsible citizens within their communities, countries, and region”.

The statement brought hope to the youth of West and Central Africa, through the assurance of the political leaders who pledged to work together with young people and partners to transform the lives of young people in the region. 

As they welcomed the commitments, representatives of the young people at the ceremony ceased the opportunity to remind the political leaders of the regions that “this commitment is for us but in your interest as adults; we need to work together because working with young people today means working for your future…not working with us is you adults working against us”. 

The young people pledged their commitment to mobilize their peers in partnership with the government to ensure the attainment of the aspirations enshrined in the WCA commitment. They also called on their political leaders to consciously ensure they are adequately involved in decision-making, programming and accountability processes. 

Amongst several challenges, West and Central Africa has the highest adolescent birth rate in the world. More than one in every seven girls aged 14 years and younger are married. In some countries in the region, it’s about three (3) out of every ten (10) girls that are married. Also, one in four adolescent girls and nearly one in five adolescent boys do not receive any formal education or training in the region. 

These and many more issues including HIV infections, unmet need for contraceptives and family planning, drug abuse etc. are critical reasons that these regional commitments made for educated, healthy, and thriving adolescents and young people in West and Central Africa is an important milestone. 

While the commitments represent a major milestone and a significant accomplishment, it also presents further opportunities to continue with advocacy and push to deliver for young people. The next step will be to mobilize political support to finalize the accountability framework for tracking the WCA commitment, which includes defining specific targets; country-level work to disseminate the commitment widely within government agencies, civil society partners and young people and ensuring the right investments are made to ensure educated, healthy, and thriving adolescents and young people in West and Central Africa.