Monrovia – More than 1,500 young Liberians from five cities in Montserrado County are expected to benefit from a youth empowerment program funded by UNDP.
Report by Edwin G. Genoway, Jr – [email protected]
The program, titled ‘Youth Engagement for Improved Community Sanitation and Revitalization program’ is expected to run for one month and expected to target five cities in Montserrado County.
The program targets five cities and expected to provide jobs for youth through cleaning campaign primarily in Paynesville, Bentol and Monrovia.
The program also targets the New Kru Town Township.
Speaking at the launch of the program in the Borough of New Kru Town on Wednesday February 28, the team Leader on Governance at the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Civil Affairs described the employment of young people as key to economic development.
Bornfree Adile however said to making young people independent would enhance peace and stability.
Adile said UNMIL and the UNDP were proud to be sponsors of the youth initiative, while hailing Liberians for their dedication to maintaining peace in Liberia.
“We are proud for the high level of commitment by Liberian to the peace process, we are happy that the UNDP is part of this initiative by sponsoring the process especially for the benefit of the young people,” he noted.
Dixon Seboe, District # 16 Representative, described the initiative as another step in making sure promises on job creation for youth come to fruition.
The Montserrado District #16 lawmaker encouraged young people to take the program seriously, and said the launch of the program will bring about economy growth through the empowerment of young people.
He urged the young people to help the city authority maintain a clean city, while promising to be a part of the cleaning process.
“I, Dickson Seboe will be a part of this cleaning process and I am going to make sure that District #16 perform and be successful in this business because I don’t like to lose,” he said.
Launching the program on behalf of the President of the Republic of Liberia, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Olayee S. Collins, said the project is a good and it is from the heart of the president to be a part of such initiative.
The Minister, who proxy for the Liberian leader and served as chief launcher, reemphasized the President’s commitment to youth empowerment.
“I urged you the young people of Liberia to learn and take advantage of the learning process, be a professional person and be part of the nation building process, go to school and tell people you are professional plumber.”
Speaking earlier, the policy advisor in the office of the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Eugene Herring, said the Liberian leader was proudly voted into office by the mainly the young people.
“Liberia has recently undergone a historical peaceful transition of power; one that has been ushered in through sweeping support from the booming youth population of our country.”
“In the wake of this, George Manneh Weah has assured that same youthful populace of his deep commitment to provide opportunities for young people to develop themselves. Whether by employment, vocational training, scholarship or any other mode of upward mobility.”
Herring said government is cognizant of the fact that Liberia requires short, medium, and long-term interventions that work in concert with one another.
He said the Weah Administration has begun to lay the groundwork for a more comprehensive youth development program in order to support sustainable national development through the Pro-Poor Policy Strategy.
“Within this robust new vision, Liberia’s youth are considered to be stakeholders and the engine of the driving push for development and sustained peace, however, to whom much is given, much is required.”
He added that the responsibility for the growth of Liberia can no longer simply be reliant on government.
“In fact we must begin to govern ourselves in a way that promotes the development that we wish to see, it is in this light that we are here to unveil one of many short term intervention,” he said.
“I, along with our partners, UNMIL and UNDP, had been tasked with initiating projects to engage the high energy of our youth, and considering the compounding sanitation challenges faced in Greater Monrovia, a one month project was developed to mobilize youth contribution toward maintaining a clean and healthy community”.
The project is comprised of a series of simultaneous clean up campaigns that will be spearheaded by youths.
It encourages young people to become active agents of the community by ensuring the cleanliness of the community, engraining a sense of ownership of the environment.