ECOWAS SUPPORTS THE 2026 DAKAR YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES WITH A DONATION OF US$300,000

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On the sidelines of the ECOWAS Youth Conference, Senegal’s National Youth Forum, held in Dakar, Senegal, on 26 and 27 November 2024, the ECOWAS Commission, through its Centre for Youth and Sports Development, presented a cheque for USD 300,000 to the National Olympic and Sports Committee of Senegal (CNOSS), in support of the organisation of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. This symbolic gesture demonstrates ECOWAS’s decisive financial support and commitment to assisting Senegal in ensuring the success of this global sporting event, which aims to celebrate young people and promote the universal values of the Olympic Movement. The official handover ceremony, led by Professor Fatou Sow Sarr, ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, took place in Dakar in the presence of Ms Khady Diène Gaye, the Senegalese Minister for Youth, Sport and Culture. His Excellency Mr Francis Chuks Njoaguani, Director of the ECOWAS Centre for Youth and Sports Development and Acting Resident Representative of ECOWAS in Burkina Faso, as well as several other high-ranking officials, also attended the event. This partnership reflects ECOWAS’s commitment to sport and the development of young people, whilst upholding the principles of equal opportunities. The funds granted will be used to support the organisation and promotion of this world-class sporting event, which will be held on the African continent for the first time. In her address at the cheque-presentation ceremony, Prof. Sow Sarr congratulated Senegal on this historic achievement, which, she said, is a source of pride for the entire ECOWAS region and provides athletes from the Community’s member states with the opportunity to compete against their peers on an international stage. She reassured the Senegalese government of ECOWAS’s continued support for the successful delivery of this event. The Senegalese National Olympic and Sports Committee, represented at the ceremony by its first vice-president, Mr Momar Mbaye, and its secretary-general, Mr Seydina Omar Diagne, warmly welcomed this initiative. Mr Mbaye emphasised the importance of supporting young talent and promoting participation in sport at all levels. In his view, although these Games are being held in Senegal, they represent the entire African continent. He expressed his gratitude for this major contribution from ECOWAS, which is essential to ensuring the success and high standard of the competition’s organisation, whilst offering an unforgettable experience to all participants. The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, organised under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee, will bring together young athletes aged between 14 and 17 from all corners of the globe. This event, which ensures perfect gender parity, represents a unique opportunity to strengthen regional unity through sport, whilst celebrating the excellence and diversity of African youth’s talents. This financial contribution from ECOWAS forms part of the implementation of a partnership agreement signed in 2022 between the ECOWAS Commission and the National Olympic and Sports Committee of Senegal.