Boniface Bawara, Assistant to the Permanent Representative of ECOWAS in Togo, and Katharina Hopp, KAS Trainee in Abidjan, opened the conference

Aïcha Bouraïma, personality development coach, gives advice for the interview process

Aïcha Bouraïma, personality development coach, explains the structure of a good job application

Journalist Noël Kokou Tadegnon presents ways in which African youth can use social media for regional peacebuilding

The former scholarship holders Thierry Bamikole (Benin), Fatima Touré (Côte d'Ivoire) and Marc Ayassou (Togo) speak about their experiences

Moderated by Mounirou Tchacondoh, the former scholarship holders Abdoul-Aziz Adama (Côte d'Ivoire), Stephanie Wilson (Togo) and Henri Kabore (Burkina Faso) answer questions from the audience

Former scholarship holder, Ousia Foli-Bebe, presents his EcoTecLab

Group photo

The conference, moderated by Mounirou Tchacondoh, KAS coordinator in Benin, aimed to enhance the students’ job application skills and to allow for an exchange of experiences. The opening ceremony was held by Boniface Bawara, administrative assistant to the Permanent Representative of ECOWAS in Togo. He stressed the importance of scholarships as they enable young people to continue their studies and prepare for the job market. Katharina Hopp, trainee of the KAS PDWA programme in Abidjan, underlined in her speech the importance of strengthening the regional network between all scholarship recipients since mutual support and the exchange of ideas play an important role for the next generation of decision-makers.

The personal training was conducted by Aïcha Bouraïma, founder of her own consulting firm that trains employees, entrepreneurs and managers. Mrs Bouraïma gave instructions on how to prepare for a job interview and participants exchanged views on the creation of CVs and the acquisition of rhetorical knowledge. The training aroused positive echoes among the scholarship holders who underlined the relevance of the issues dealt with. In addition, there was a sharing of experiences between former and current recipients. The former presented their professional experiences and how the scholarship has helped them on their journey.

The rest of the conference revolved around two main themes. The discussions led by Semenyo Anani Kpekou, representative of the Togolese Ministry of Labor and Education, and the journalist Noël Kokou Tadegnon focused on the integration of youth into the ECOWAS job market and the use of social media for regional peacebuilding. The lively discussion clearly showed how important these issues are for young people.

The conference was rounded off by a joint visit to the EcoTecLab – a structure founded by the former Togolese KAS scholarship holder Ousia Foli-Bebe. The mission of EcoTecLab – a mixture of start-up and civil society organisation - is to arouse young people's interest in science and sustainability. For example, the laboratory, which includes a homemade 3D printer, produces robots and other electronic devices from scrap metal. With their work, Mr. Foli-Bebe and his team make a commendable and innovative contribution to mastering current ecological and social challenges. The entrepreneurial exemplarity of Mr. Foli-Bebe's pilot project certainly serves as an inspiration and as a model the young generation.