Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, Ferehmusu Konteh has said that youth employment is a global and national challenge.
She assured that as players in the government “we will identify governance areas that need to be improved and implement the local content policy”.
She said this yesterday at the first National Youth Employment Forum at the Miatta conference hall to mark the International Youth Day. The theme of Day is Youth Migration-Moving Development towards Youth Employment.
Madam Ferehmusu Konteh said the local content policy will ensure that our youths are productively trained, gaining decent jobs, reduce poverty, playing meaningful roles in the transformation of Sierra Leone and not migrating to greener pastures.
The Deputy Youth Affairs Minister stated that the forum comes at a critical time and requires the whole-hearted support and ownership by all stakeholders.
She said that agriculture, mining, fisheries, attitudinal change, security, sexual reproductive and health issues, water resources, environmental management of our natural and mineral resources, rests on and for our youths.
Madam Konteh said that the Ministry of Youth Affairs, National Youth Commission, UNDP, FAO, World Bank, GIZ, ILO,IFC, ADB, Youth Councils and private sector are collaborating to provide this interactive forum for discussion and exchange of lessons learnt and best practices on what has worked, what will work and how we should collaborate and manage resources from different donors and MDAs to implement the Agenda for Prosperity.
The Minister called on all to raise awareness and contribute in order to develop a strategic road map that would create employment for over 800,000 unemployed and under-employed youths.
By Abibatu Kamara
August 13, 2013
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