Launched at Dakar · 10 September 2026
A regional network of young changemakers in West Africa.
WAYON grew out of the 2025 ECOWAS Youth Election Observer Pilot and now spans democracy and good governance across West Africa. It connects young people across the region, sustains their skills, and pools their evidence. Membership is now open.
What WAYON is for
The network exists to connect young people working on democracy and good governance across West Africa, to sustain their capacity between and beyond electoral cycles, to pool regional data and analysis, and to advocate for institutionalising youth inclusion in ECOWAS governance. Election observation is where the network began and remains central to its work, but it is not the whole of it.
From the Dakar launch
Convened and supported by
- ECOWAS
- RESAO-ECONEC
- European Union
- GIZ
- Expertise France
- FIAP
- Legis360
Implemented under the ECOWAS Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) Project, with the support of the European Union, Germany and Denmark.