Freetown, September 15, 2025 –A damning performance audit of the Freetown City Council (FCC) has revealed that over NLe 672,880.50 allocated for youth empowerment between 2021 and 2023 was largely misused, with no evidence of vocational training delivered, despite clear mandates to equip young people with skills in carpentry, tailoring, welding, driving, soap making, and sports.
Instead, auditors from the Audit Service Sierra Leone found that NLe 357,270-53% of the total funds, was spent on sensitisation campaigns, T-shirts, banners, transportation, and refreshments, with no trace of structured training programmes. The audit warns that this failure to invest in productive ventures has left many youths idle and vulnerable, contributing to a surge in drug abuse, theft, violence, street begging, and other social crimes across the municipality.
The youth devolved grant was designed to foster self-esteem, economic inclusion, and a transition from informal to formal employment. Its neglect, the report suggests, has not only undermined these goals but may be fueling the very social instability it was meant to prevent.
“This is a textbook case of misaligned priorities,” said one audit analyst. “Instead of tools and training, we got T-shirts and banners, while the city’s youth spiral into unemployment and desperation.”
The audit also highlights the broader economic implications. By failing to develop skilled labor, the FCC has missed a critical opportunity to boost local competitiveness and reduce dependency on informal income sources. The ripple effects are now visible in rising urban crime rates and deteriorating public safety.
The report calls for immediate reforms, including strict adherence to planned training activities, transparent procurement processes, and measurable impact assessments. Without these corrections, the city risks deepening its youth crisis and squandering future development potential.
