Monrovia – The Ministry of Labour (MOL) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS) have launched a strategic collaboration aimed at increasing employment opportunities for young people across Liberia.
The first inter-ministerial meeting on job creation between the two ministries was held in Monrovia, bringing together senior officials, including ministers, deputy ministers, assistant ministers and technical staff from both institutions.
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Labour Minister Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, Sr., described the gathering as the beginning of a coordinated effort to assess workforce challenges and develop practical strategies to address unemployment and promote job creation in Liberia.
Minister Kruah said the collaboration will focus on identifying government initiatives and public-private sector partnerships that can create sustainable employment opportunities.
He noted that discussions will center on encouraging businesses to hire and train Liberian youth, leveraging local resources, and exploring international development grants and investment opportunities.
He further stated that the partnership seeks to align the Ministry of Labour’s employment programs with the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ youth development initiatives, including the Government Vacation Job Program for young people.
According to Minister Kruah, the Ministry of Labour has set ambitious employment targets for the year, and through this collaboration, job opportunities identified by the ministry can be referred to the Ministry of Youth and Sports for placement, thereby increasing access to employment for young Liberians.
For her part, Minister of Youth and Sports, Atty. Cllr. Cole Bangalu Corlinia Kruah, welcomed the initiative and emphasized the historic relationship between the two ministries.
She noted that the founders of these institutions envisioned strong coordination between the labor market and the nation’s youthful workforce.
Minister Kruah highlighted that approximately 70 percent of Liberia’s population is under the age of 35, while those between 15 and 35 years constitute about 43 percent of the population.
As such, she said, young people represent the majority of Liberia’s workforce and must remain at the center of employment and economic development policies.
She stressed that whether employment opportunities are created within the private sector or through public service recruitment, the primary source of labor remains Liberia’s youth population.
The Youth and Sports Minister also underscored the importance of strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs, noting that such initiatives complement the Ministry of Labour’s efforts to enhance workforce development and employability.
While acknowledging numerous government interventions aimed at creating opportunities for young people, Minister Kruah observed that many of these programs remain fragmented and uncoordinated, resulting in duplication of efforts across government ministries, agencies and state-owned enterprises.
She called for the consolidation of vacation job programs and other youth employment initiatives under a coordinated framework.
Such an approach, she said, would enable the government to accurately measure and report the number of jobs created for young people annually.
As a key outcome of the meeting, a technical committee comprising representatives from both ministries was established to develop policies and implementation strategies that will guide and sustain the collaboration.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment by both ministries to work closely together in advancing youth employment, workforce development and economic empowerment initiatives throughout Liberia.
