Presidential Press Secretary Kula Fofana has highlighted the importance of young people in the development of any nation.
Speaking on the Theme: “Vision to Action: A Youth Policy for Sustainable and Inclusive Development” Madam Fofana said the role of youth empowerment is key in shaping the destiny of the Country.
She stressed that if the revised version of the National youth policy is to succeed, it must do more than check boxes or repeat promises.
“It must respond directly to the lived experiences of young people in this country from West Point to Zwedru, from Ganta to Greenville, from border towns to fishing villages and towns such as Robertsport”, she added.
According to her, The moment challenges Liberians to move beyond slogans stressing that Youth empowerment must no longer be a ceremonial phrase but must become a structural commitment.
She at the same time underscores, real investments in education which should not just be about schooling, but learning that prepares the youth for the demands of the 21st-century economy.
“It also requires expanding vocational and technical training centers across the country linking them to viable industries, markets, and financing as well as tackling youth unemployment not with temporary fixes, but through coordinated job creation strategies especially in agriculture, ICT, green energy, and public service.
The Presidential Press Secretary encouraged policies which are gender-sensitive and responsive, religiously representative, disability-inclusive, and responsive to vulnerable and marginalized groups.
She emphasized that it is time that said empowerment help to ensure that youth don’t only participate but are giving the opportunity to lead.
Madam Fofana acknowledged that this youthful generation led a pandemic responses, using creativity to raise awareness.
“This is the generation that is building businesses, organizing communities, defending democracy, and holding institutions accountable. This is the generation refusing to be silenced or sidelined”, she noted.
However, she pointed out that for the generation to rise to its fullest potential, the country must rise with it.
She wants the revised National Youth Policy & Action to be transformative grounded in data, aligned with international best practices, and integrated into national development planning frameworks, including the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development and our commitments under the African Youth Charter, African Union’s Agenda 2063, and Sustainable Development Goals.
She wants a clear benchmarks to be setup, establish mechanisms for monitoring and accountability.
Moreover, she wants youth to see themselves as co-owners of the implementation process tracking progress, flagging gaps, and shaping solutions.
Acknowledging key partners work and support to the Country especially UNFPA, UN Women, and ActionAid among others reemphasized the critical, and continued collaboration in helping to ensure that the policy becomes a model of excellence on the African continent.
She admonished the young people to see themselves as leaders today adding that their ideas, energy and time matters.
“Do not wait for permission to lead and do not underestimate the impact of your voice, Organize, Mobilize, Innovate, Hold your leaders accountable but also be ready to lead with integrity when your time comes and it will”, she reechoed.
Speaking further madam Fofana called for a renewed determination to act to turn vision into action, ideas into policies, and hope into tangible change.
“Together, let us build a Liberia where every young person has the opportunity not just to survive, but to thrive”, she added.
President Boakai she said believes, that a nation’s greatest wealth is not buried beneath its soil, but thrives in the hearts, minds, and talents of its young people.
