By: Mohamed M. Sesay
With support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Ministry of Youth Affairs in collaboration with the National Youth Commission, the Districts Youth Council chairpersons, Civil Society Organizations and the media, have on Tuesday the 12th July 2022, unanimously validated the National Youth Empowerment Fund at the New City Council Hall (the View) Freetown.
The National Youth empowerment Fund is one of the measures the Bio led government has put in place in order to promote employment creation for youth. It is a flagship programme of cluster 6 of the Mid-Term National Development Plan 2019-2023. The sole purpose of National Youth Empowerment Fund is to promote Youth entrepreneurship, employment and empowerment. The fund has two separate components which include; the access to financial services component and that of the business development service component.
In his keynote address, the Minister of Youth Affairs Mohamed Orman Bangura disclosed that his Ministry was able to reach out to all the five regions across the country which aided them with vital data for the Youth Empowerment founds. He added that they have been also using the national platform in reaching out to more than 3000 young people across the country in order to have an inclusive date.
The Youth Minister also justified that the many engagements with young people across the country has given credence to the National Youth Empowerment Fund to be very consultative and participatory. He intimated that the document is aligning with global standards.
“Let us use Rwanda for example. If you are a photographer, government can buy camera for you but the camera remains the property of government until that particular youth has completed payment for it. Government buys vehicles and other necessity gargets for youth which the youth will in return pay for those properties. This is the same thing this Youth Empowerment Fund is geared towards addressing need felt activities of youth. We can also buy motor bikes for examples for okada riders which they will pay for in return”, he said.
Mohamed Orman Bangura concluded by reassuring the gathering that no sooner the validation process is done, than he will take the document for cabinet approval and to parliament for enactment. He reminded all and sundry that the validation engagement has tremendous impact t on the youth in future. He therefore, encouraged all to do justice to the document and also sent a strong worded warning for youth to be very serious adding that; youthful age will not be forever.
On his Part, the National Youth Council Chairman Tejan Kellah reaffirmed that indeed series of engagements on the Youth Empowerment fund have been done with youth across the country. He added that such engagement aided them the appropriate data they were looking for. He therefore, confessed that the validation process of the document was indeed an inclusive and consultative process. He recalled that over the years, state actors developed documents for youths of which ironically, youth voices are not represented and reflected in such documents. He edified further that the National Youth Empowerment Fund does not necessarily mean that government will go house to house giving money to youth, but rather government will financially support development activities for youth. He pleaded to all youth across the country to give their best for such laudable programme.
The Executive Director of National Youth Coalition Morlai Conteh, considered the validation process as an appropriate engagement geared towards addressing the concern and welfare of young people. He added that they are very pleased with the inclusion of Civil Society in the process and assured that they will monitor the process. He also noted that the National Youth Empowerment Fund is indeed timely as young people are now ready for development. He concluded by putting emphasis on the importance of the project for young people alluding that, the project will now discourage young people embarking on dangerous journey overseas seeking for greener pasture.
