Motorbike Riders waiting for passengers in one of the stops in Monrovia
“With this job, I am not sure of selling, it is just by luck”.
This was a statement from one Cooper (not his real name). Anderson Cooper is one among many youths in Monrovia who sells electronic items on the roadside on commission. He says that he didn’t finish school for lack of school fees and now he can’t go to school because he is passed that age. Asked if he has any vocational training skills he says he doesn’t and that he doesn’t know of any government funded institution that offers vocational training opportunities through sponsorship for young people. Asked what he would want to do, he says he would like to do building and construction because with this skills he can employ himself. This is a typical story for many of the youths in Liberia.
In Liberia, most of the youth are school drop outs and those above school going age opt to do small scale businesses; selling mobile phone airtime and data, selling items on wheelbarrows and hawking on the roads on traffic among other small businesses.
According to the United Nations, young people between the ages of 15 to 24 account for about 65 percent of Liberia’s population of 4.1 million. This means that there is extraordinary prospective of economic and social growth of our nation. However, this has remained a dream as young people for the most part have subsequently been excluded from decision making processes; from social, economic, political and even cultural. Just like other vulnerable groups, the youth have limited access to opportunities from quality education, limited incentives and motivation for interpersonal and intra-personal development and limited employment opportunities.
Cooper, who is an orphan says if he gets a chance, he can go to school part time.
“I know I have grown big but if I get a chance I can still go back to school but not full day. I have my younger brother who depends on me, so if I stop doing this small business we will not have food to eat.”
One of the Policy Objectives in the National Youth Policy and Action Plan (2019-2023) is to ‘ensure youth involvement in decision-making, leadership, community based and other development programs especially in matters affecting them’. This will provide a bargaining power for young people to hold policy makers and duty bearers into account with regards to creating an environment for youth access to employment and other opportunities.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 8.5 anticipates full and productive employment and descent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities and equal pay for equal value by 2030. Goal number 4.4 also promotes the same narrative; that by 2030 there will be substantial increase in the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills for employment, descent jobs and entrepreneurship.
The SDGs among other policies should form a foundation for the local government to set up mechanisms that will help to create employment opportunities for the youth. Looking at the World Youth Report of 2018 published by the United Nations, investing in skills development will enhance marketability hence foster youth employment. Through this, the young people will invest in their creativity and the skills hence have a financial ability that will make them stand on their own, without depending on formal employment from the government or private sector.
Young men selling mobile phone data and minutes in Monrovia
When proper systems are put in place, Cooper and other young people in Liberia will have many opportunities for socio-economic The government can as well invest in Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) by controlling regulations and promoting access to credit and financing. A World Bank Report of 2015 says that 80% of new jobs in the formal sector comes from SMEs, especially in emerging economies.
Cooper is optimistic that these agendas that are being put, will benefit young people. ” I am just praying that this government will look at the welfare of people like us who are young, so that we can build our future.” It is expected that the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD) 2018-2023 by the Liberian government will work towards creating more opportunities for economic development as stated in Pillar 2 of the policy whose goal is to have a “stable macroeconomic environment enabling private sector-led economic growth, greater competitiveness, and diversification of the economy”
I am just praying that this government will look at the welfare of people like us who are young, so that we can build our future.
Building economic, cultural and social development of the young people is laying a strong foundation for sustainable development and will reduce poverty and the vices associated with youth such as drugs and substance abuse and crime among others. The youth are the leaders of TODAY
