He told the world that more than 40% of the high-level appointees in President Julius Maada Bio’s government positions are youth or young people, adding that Presidential commitment is underpinned by a National Youth Policy that is being reviewed, to synergize it with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Africa Union Agenda 2063 and the UN 2030 Youth Strategy.
He said: “In developing our youth policy we are going to engage the youth on consultative dialogue through local tools we have found to be most effective. We are also reviewing the normative framework to address the needs of young people and ensure that their engagement and participation in national development is fully realized.”
He said his government’s national vision to inclusively and equally empower youth mirrors that of the Youth 2030 Strategy, whose vision is to create “a world in which the human rights of every young person are realized; that ensures every young person is empowered to achieve their full potential; and that recognizes young people’s agency, resilience and their positive contributions as agents of change.”
He went on that recently, the Government of Sierra Leone launched the Medium-Term National Development Plan 2019-2023, and Cluster Six speaks about transforming the lives of young people of Sierra Leone by meeting.
On this he said by 2023, it hopes to increase youth employment by 15%, with special attention to gender equality; by 2023, we are certain that the number of young people involved in entrepreneurship will increase more than the 2018 figures, with emphasis on promoting innovation and by 2023, we are hopeful that the National Youth Service and the Skills Development Project will be fully operational.
One of the key action points in meeting these targets the deputy minister went on, is the review of the current design of the Youth Policy together with the National Youth Service and to ensure their implementation, adding that His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, decided to kick-start the dream of the country’s forefathers into a visible reality with the implementation of the National Youth Service in 2018. He said the president believes developing Human Capital is key and that the youth should be the hub for Sierra Leone’s development adding; “that is why our flagship programme is the “free quality education” for all from primary to secondary level in all public schools.”