Haruna. COurtesy BBC News.




West Africa volunteers scheme launched 





 
The scheme is intended to foster a common West African identity



Some 1,000 youths from across West Africa have marched through the streets of the Liberian capital, Monrovia, to launch a new regional volunteer scheme. 
The scheme would see youths spend time helping out in areas such as agriculture, health or education in a different country to their own. 
The idea is that it would help foster a common identity across Ecowas (Economic Community of West African States). 
A pilot scheme will begin in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. 
Organiser Dieudonne Nikiema told the BBC's Network Africa programme that if the pilot in these countries succeeds, it would be extended across the region. 
It is modelled on the UN volunteer programme. 
He said so far, some $1m of the total budget of $5m has been raised. 
Ecowas Commission President Victor Gbeho told the launch ceremony that the scheme would also help tackle youth unemployment, which he said had helped fuel the region's conflicts. 
The scheme was launched to mark the 20th anniversary of Ecowas peacekeeping operations. 
Ecowas troops played a key role in the conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone.








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