Monrovia – The President’s Young Professional Program (PYPP), supported by USAID-Liberia and the government of Liberia through the Civil Service Agency (CSA), Monday celebrated its first Inaugural Private Sector placement.
During the event which took place at the Conex Group J.V. Ltd offices outside Monrovia, the PYPP turned over three of its newest young professionals to Conex, for a two-year fellowship mentorship and training.
The three PYPs are Stanley Michael Oppong – BSc in Chemistry; Leo Klah Wilson – BSc in Geology; and Stanley H. Sheriff – BA in Sociology.
Mr. Hh Zaizay, the Executive Director of the PYPP, thanked Conex for collaborating with his organization, while stating that the placement of the young Liberian college graduates at CONEX serves as a significant milestone in the history of the PYPP as it seeks to expand its services to the private sector in Liberia.
Said Zaizay: “These 3 Young Professionals are expected to be mentored, trained and provided professional and leadership development support by CONEX over a period of two years. They will also bring to bear their individual skills-sets, talents, commitment as productive leverage in order to impact productivity at CONEX and bolster the Oil and Gas sector of Liberia,” explain Zaizay.
Mr. Zaizay explained that the PYPP is a solution-driven organization which was established in 2009 as a long-term solution to addressing the critical capacity deficit within the public sector added that the drive came as the result of an intention to sprout and prepare capacity from within rather than the other way around.
“These young professionals were placed in more than 25 Government ministries and agencies driving institutional strengthening and effective service delivery at the same time supporting the government to achieve its development agenda,” explained Zaizay.
Making remarks, the chairman and CEO of Conex, Cherif M. Adallah appreciated the PYPP for doing the hard work of recruiting the best and placing them[young professionals] at his institution there by making Conex the first recipient in the private sector. “Honestly speaking, I have this zeal to recruit young people who are smart and also possessing good morals so that we can groom them and make them the proud of Conex,” explained Mr. Adallah.
The Conex Ceo added that he wants history to judge his institution in that it was able to contribute to molding young Liberians into successful individuals. “Because we don’t want you to come and join us then 45 years from now, you’re not proud about the fact that you and Conex made something out of you,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the rest of the PYPP fellows placed at the entity, Stanley Oppong of the newly- recruited class 9 appreciated Conex for the opportunity at the same time calling on his colleagues to always give their best in the discharge of their duties.
“To Conex Group of Companies, please see us not as experts but as hungry, talented and solution driven young people who have refused to become subsets for inadequacy and complacency,” stated Oppong.
The three young professional placed at Conex are a part of the newly recruited cohort of 23 young and talented Liberian college graduates to form part of the PYPP 9th Class.