Lomé: To make the Pan-African Masters in Conference Interpreting and Translation (PAMCIT) a regional center of excellence dedicated to building language capacity, improving the quality of institutional communication, and advancing West African integration. This was the vision shared by Ms. Olukemi Robinson Atabuh, Director of Conference Services and Protocol at the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Chairperson of the PAMCIT II Task Force. According to African Press Organization, Ms. Atabuh emphasized the alignment of the Masters program with required academic and professional standards under the Bachelor-Master-Doctorate (BMD) framework. This alignment aims to meet demands for professionalization, quality assurance, practical internships, and alignment with the actual needs of various target groups at the national, regional, and international levels. She stressed the importance of competence, rigor, and ethics in training conference interpreters to enhance the ability o f ECOWAS institutions to operate effectively in a multilingual environment. Ms. Atabuh highlighted that these requirements will ensure high-level exchanges, technical meetings, political consultations, and decision-making processes occur with accuracy and trust. Establishing a Masters in Translation is seen as addressing a fundamental need, given the pivotal role of languages in ECOWAS. Languages facilitate mutual understanding, support diplomacy, and make community policies accessible, fostering sustainable integration. The ECOWAS Commission is committed to supporting the University of Lomé in promoting academic excellence, pooling expertise, and building a regional pool of professionals to meet the growing language needs of the region. Dr. Agboh Ebony, Deputy Director of the International Language Center at the University of Lomé, acknowledged Togo's integration into PAMCIT as a strengthening factor for interpreting training in West Africa. He emphasized languages as bridges between peoples and key driver s of regional integration. Dr. Aly Sambou, Coordinator of the Masters in Translation and Conference Interpreting at Gaston Berger University in Senegal, shared the background of PAMCIT, established in 2009 with support from the European Union and the United Nations. The first phase (2009-2021) harmonized curricula and laid the foundation for high-level language training. The second phase, launched in November 2025, includes innovative subjects like translation technologies and terminology management, aiming to consolidate achievements and expand PAMCIT's reach. Participants at the meeting included Alphousseyni Diamanka, Coordinator of Language Services at the ECOWAS Commission. During a visit, the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, Ms. Damtien Larbli Tchintchibidja, reaffirmed the vital role of African institutions in youth training, describing it as essential for a prosperous future for Africa and ECOWAS.
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