President Ernest Bai Koroma has launched an ambitious US$ 217.5 million programme that "seeks to create one million decent new jobs" for young people, according to a press release from the UNDP, the agency that supports the initiative.
The national Youth Programme is three-year initiative and the first of its kind launched in the country.
“If youths do not come forward, the nation cannot move forward” the president said at the launch on Tuesday.
He admonished the youth to prepare in order “to play in the premier league of development by training hard, acquire more skills and be disciplined so that you will benefit from the opportunities that are being provided.”
Titled “A Blue Print for Youth Development – Sierra Leone’s National Youth Programme 2014-2018”, the plan also seeks to ensure that two million more young Sierra Leoneans are enabled with the means to effectively participate in national life as well as provide 300,000youth in secondary or higher education.
The programme is predicated on the fact that the country has a very youthful population. With 1.7 million young people three-quarters of Sierra Leoneans below 35 years, with emphasis that that number will only grow.
"60 percent of young people are structurally unemployed – they are unable to provide sufficiently for themselves and their families. The secondary and tertiary education systems are also failing young people, with only 37% of the school-age youth population in education, and half of all young people illiterate" the release adds.
The programme is complete with clear implementing strategies, a results framework and budget and management and coordinating mechanism.
The programme will focus on three objectives a youth private sector development, resilient and effective youth-serving institutions, and youth-friendly public services.
Over a 5-year period, the programme will coordinate, mobilise, mainstream, and extend youth-focused actions to achieve the set goals through the provision of one million new youth jobs, two million active young citizens and 300,000 more youth in secondary or higher education.
The youth development plan was launched along with a theme song titled: ”De Blue Print for Youth Development” performed with energy and creativity by a youthful and talented Artistes for Development.
Acting UN Resident Coordinator, Gon Myers expressed the continued commitment of the world body to support the efforts of the country in confronting the youth question saying “It is desire to make sure youths positively contribute to advancing this nation and I wish say here that the youth agenda is a top priority for the UN.”
UDP Country Director Sudipto Mukerjee said Sierra Leone is making recognizable strides in democracy, peace consolidation and GDP growth, but that more focused efforts were required for the general citizenry to feel the inclusiveness of this growth.
Mukerjee added that with a very young population, investments made in their social, economic and political empowerment and inclusion “they can easily become the drivers of a prosperous future” but if not, “they may rise to popular protest and risk the peace gains made so far, as we have seen in the Arab Spring.”
A representative of the youths, Alphonso Manley decried the high level of administrative costs related to youth projects (including salaries, costs of consultancies and vehicles) and called on donors and implementing agencies to focus on programmes with high benefits to young people and ensure the involvement of young people in design and implementation of projects.
(C) Politico 23/04/14
