Inclusion of Youths in Public Works and Infrastructure Projects (SL0038)

Brief Description of the commitment

Sierra Leone has implemented two national youth policies since the end of the civil war in 2002 to enhance youth capacity and potential to address the challenges. Nevertheless, despite the gains made, emerging challenges exist that undermine the ability of young people to contribute effectively to national development.

Problem definition

1. What problem does the commitment aim to address? Youth unemployment continues to pose a significant threat to sustaining economic growth and stability. Those between the ages of 15 and 35 make up the youth population, and they comprise more than a third of the Sierra Leone population. Only those engaged in formal training are largely unemployed in urban centers. Youths in rural communities have needed more incentive to engage in productive work. University graduates need to be more employed. Youth, those between the ages of 15-35, make up more than a third of the population in Sierra Leone. Of this population, those outside of school or university or engaged in formal training are largely unemployed in urban centers. In the rural areas, too, youth have needed more incentive to engage in productive work. Our graduates from the universities need to be more employed. These unemployed youths, especially in the urban centers, often fall prey to opportunists who use them in violent protests and thuggery.

2. What are the causes of the problem? Sierra Leone has a youthful population, with 30% between 18 and 35, constituting approximately 49% of the country's labor force. Youths play an essential role in maintaining the country's socio-economic stability. Despite this, for several decades, they have been victims of marginalization. There has been an increased number of young people in governance. However, the gerontocracy governance of the country has also undermined the Sierra Leonean youth population. Regular social inequality coupled with the patriarchal culture and tradition has continued to deny youths a sense of identity and voice in their communities. Part of this formed the basis for grievance and frustration, leading thousands of youths to participate in the Sierra Leonean civil war from 1991 to 2002.

Commitment Description

1. What has been done so far to solve the problem? The Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) and its development partners have invested massively in establishing pro-youth systems and policies. Over the years, many of these investments have targeted but a small fraction of the country's youth. Additionally, the interventions need to be gender-inclusive, insufficiently addressing the internal diversity of youth. Many of these interventions have treated the "youth" as a homogeneous population, failing to understand the disparity in needs for female and male youth, Youth with Disabilities (YwD), and youth living in the most remote rural areas. This limited the opportunities and the effects of these interventions. In 2019, the government introduced the national youth service scheme, which provides horsemanship for early graduates from the university, a national car wash service for out-of-school and street youths, youth in fisheries, and youth in Agriculture that targets chiefdom farms. This has provided a job market for employment and self-employed opportunities for growth. The government has supported youth cooperatives going into farming in different communities. The government has recently launched the Youth in Entrepreneurship program, which will provide entrepreneurial support for 8,000 youths in Sierra Leone. This will support the digital interest of young women.

2. What solution are you proposing? This commitment will support and work with youths to enhance their capacity. It will take a radical departure from previous approaches to dealing with youth-related issues; it will seek to enhance the agency of youth and place them at the heart of socio-economic and political development in Sierra Leone.

3. What results do we want to achieve by implementing this commitment? The full implementation of this commitment will harness the energy of youths to create an inclusive and lasting prosperity in Sierra Leone. In the process, it will build patriotism, national pride, and resilience among youth.

Commitment Planning (Milestones | Expected Outputs | Expected Completion Date)

Track progress on the implementation of the National Youth Policy. Train 150,000 youth on Capacity building for youth on essential skills. Support inclusion of youth business in public work and infrastructure projects. Establish a Youth Opportunity Centre in every district headquarters town to support youth in their quest to get employment | Progress report on the policy implementation, 150,000 youth trained on capacity building for youth and essential skills, # of functional youth opportunity centers established | August 2028 August 2027

Develop a national online platform for youth employment opportunities. Provision of entrepreneurshi p training and start-up grants for 8,000 . Establish two (2) new digital centers that capture 500 young females trained in ICT and general entrepreneurshi p. | Access to information, opportunities, and services for youths and development partners Increased self- employment. # of youth trained in entrepreneurshi p # of startup grants supported. Two new digital centers were established. # of women trained in ICT and General Entrepreneursh ip