The Technical Committee for the selection of beneficiaries of the Young Graduates Internship Programme in the institutions of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, began its work on Thursday, September 23, 2021 in Lagos, Nigeria, to identify the 60 beneficiaries of the 2021 edition.
According to a statement by the ECOWAS Commission in Lagos, the Technical Committee is made up of representatives of different departments of the Commission of the West African organisation, namely, the Department of Education, Science and Culture; the Department of Human Resources; the Department of Finance; the Department of ICT; the Procurement Division under the Department of General Administration and Conference; the Directorate of Legal Affairs; and the Directorate of Communication.
It explained that the Technical Committee will carry out a transparent and careful selection of the beneficiaries of the Programme, after receiving more than 5300 applications, following a call for applications launched on the ECOWAS website.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Dr. Mamadu Jao, ECOWAS Commissioner for Education, Science and Culture. While recalling the objectives of the selection session, Commissioner Jao solicited the personal involvement of all members of the Committee, so that the process could reflect the much-needed spirit of objectivity, credibility, and transparency in accordance with the selection criteria. He hoped that gender equality would be ensured and that all Member States would be able to benefit from the Programme.
The Internship Programme, established in 2017 by the Department of Education, Science and Culture, provides an opportunity for young graduates of 30 years or less and citizens of the fifteen ECOWAS Member States to carry out a professional internship of up to one year in ECOWAS Institutions and Agencies
It added that the objective of this programme is to contribute to the professional integration of young graduates by offering them the opportunity to get to know ECOWAS programmes better, while at the same time offering them the possibility to contribute to the implementation of the regional organisation’s programmes.
“It should be noted that the Young Graduates Internship Programme in ECOWAS Institutions is in line with the human capital development aspiration, which is one of the priorities of the Strategic Plan 2016-2020 to ensure sustainable development, better integration, and regional cooperation.
“The implementation of the Strategic Plan 2016-2020 is part of the ECOWAS Vision 2020, as defined by the Heads of State and Government. It is in line with the vision statement of creating a borderless, peaceful, prosperous and cohesive region, built on good governance and where people have the capacity to access and harness its enormous resources,” it added.
GIK/APA