George Manneh Weah has re-echoed his commitment to the growth and well-being of all Liberian youths under his watch as President of Liberia.
The Liberian leader who is recorded in Liberian history for employing more young people in government, on yesterday, officially launched the National Fund drive for the Rehabilitation and Empowerment of the At-Risk Youth of Liberia, under the theme; “Reclaiming Our Youth For A Better Liberia.”
The President said, Liberian youths are what he calls his constant concern stating, “I remain unrelentingly committed to their general well-being and welfare, and to providing them the necessary facilities for their educational advancement, so that they are better equipped to take advantage of the economic opportunities available in our society for them to become productive citizens.”
The Liberian President intoned that over the years since his incumbency, his commitment to young people has been manifested in many improvements affecting educational infrastructure, policies, and programs at all levels, including elementary, secondary, college, and university, as well as vocational stressing, “And we will continue to invest in our youth, in spite of scarce resources and competing demands, because they are Liberia’s future.”
“Our youths are the largest and most important demographic stratum of our population, and we have an important duty to prepare them to achieve their aspirations and become as qualified as possible, so that they can effectively compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world,” President Weah said.
However, “For far too long, Liberia has witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of certain members of our youth population who live on the streets and in our urban ghettos. Most of them were affected by the long years of our civil conflict, during which they were conscripted as child soldiers by various warring factions and introduced to drugs and other harmful substances.”
He added some of them were orphaned by the death or disappearance of their parents during the civil wars, and the destruction of their traditional family structures.
“They are the human collateral damage that is one of the unintended consequences of a war that was anything but civil,” he said.
He adding, “Some estimates place their number as more than 130,000, spread throughout Liberia. Since the end of the conflict almost two decades ago, certain historical and structural lapses within our governance processes have placed these youths at societal risk, and they have turned to drugs and other ill habits for their mere survival and sustenance. With no education and no training, they are not only unemployed, but unemployable.”
“As such, these unfortunate At-Risk youths represent a clear and present danger not only to themselves, but also to the entire socio-economic fabric of our Nation. Continued neglect of their plight can rapidly develop into a significant threat to civil society and to national security,” he intimated.
“This threat of imminent danger will continue to grow in size and scope if these potentially valuable human assets are not reclaimed and redeemed and transformed into law-abiding citizens whose education and skills-sets will enable them to have a reasonable chance of re-integrating into the larger society as productive, self-sufficient, and self-sustaining citizens,” Weah elucidated
“I promised during my campaign for the presidency that youth development would be one of my priorities, and that young people will be prepared so that they can have a place in our society as productive citizens. Over the years, I have given strong instructions to the Ministry of Youth and Sports to ensure the well-being of our young people, most especially the vulnerable youth population commonly known as “Zogos.”
“In this regard, I would like to acknowledge the valuable collaboration and sponsorship of the “Socio Economic Empowerment of Disadvantaged Youth (SEED) project by the United Nations Population,” he concluded.
