West African legislators meeting in Monrovia have warned that soaring youth unemployment is no longer just an economic headache but a “social emergency” already feeding irregular migration and insecurity. Opening a week‑long Joint Committee review of the ECOWAS Investment Policy (EIP), Alhagie S. Darbo, chair of the Parliament’s Macroeconomic Policy Committee, said the region must “move from aspiration to implementation” and translate investment flows into sustainable, decent jobs. Lawmakers drafted an action matrix centred on speedy national adoption of the EIP, cutting red tape that stalls projects and inclusive finance windows targeting youth, women and small businesses. The committee’s recommendations will feed into the next plenary of the ECOWAS Parliament and be forwarded to the bloc’s Council of Ministers. Implementation reviews are slated for early 2026.