By Davida Spaine-Solomon
Lungi, 27th August, 2026 — The Ministry of Youth Affairs and its partners took this year’s International Youth Day celebration off the shores of Freetown, gathering young Sierra Leoneans at the Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre in Lungi under the national theme, “Harnessing Youth Innovation and Resilience for National Transformation.”
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Kenyeh Barlay, stated that a young person’s future should not be determined by personal connections. “Opportunity should not depend primarily on who you know. It should increasingly depend on what you can do, what you can contribute, and whether you are prepared to compete,” Barlay said.
Her message comes as government formally launched the Youth Employment Portal; a national digital platform developed under the leadership of the Ministry of Youth Affairs with support from the World Bank.
The portal will allow young people to create profiles, record their skills and certifications, search and apply for opportunities, while employers will be able to advertise vacancies and identify potential candidates.
Barlay said the initiative was designed to address a major problem in the labour market — access to information.
The minister called on private-sector employers, government institutions and development partners to actively use the platform and urged young people to register, maintain credible profiles and take advantage of available opportunities.
The keynote also saw the formal launch of the Roadmap for the Development of Sierra Leone’s National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security. “Peace is not an inheritance one generation can simply hand to another every generation must protect it, deepen it and renew it,” Barlay said.
Barlay noted government’s commitment. “Our commitment to young people will not be judged by the number of programmes we announce or platforms we launch,” she said. “It will be judged by whether a qualified young person can find opportunity without depending exclusively on personal connections.”
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Dr. Phillip D. Kargbo, said the country must begin to see young people not merely as future leaders, but as active contributors to Sierra Leone’s development today. “Young people are not merely the leaders of tomorrow; they are leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, citizens and agents of change today,” Kargbo said.
Acknowledging the challenges confronting young Sierra Leoneans, he mentioned unemployment, limited access to finance, skills gaps, unequal educational opportunities, barriers to entrepreneurship and limited opportunities for meaningful participation.
Addressing those challenges, he said would require government to move beyond simply designing programmes for young people and instead create platforms where young people could actively participate in shaping solutions.
He urged young people to acquire knowledge and skills, support one another, participate constructively in their communities and refuse to allow their circumstances to define the limits of their aspirations.
Giving the goodwill message, Executive Director of the Global Youth Network, Musa Khalil-Koroma, stated the importance to investment in young people. “When you invest in young people, you are not spending money on the future; you are investing in the people who are building the future right now,” he said.
United Nations Resident Coordinator Seraphine Wakana also used the occasion to recognise the contribution of young Sierra Leoneans to national development. She said young people across the country are demonstrating resilience and ingenuity through entrepreneurship, technology, agriculture, climate action, peacebuilding, job creation and the creative industries.
Wakana commended the Government of Sierra Leone, particularly the Ministry of Youth Affairs, for its efforts to strengthen youth inclusion and employment initiatives. But she stressed that more needed to be done to create an environment where young people could thrive.
“We must continue to work hard to ensure sustained investment in quality education, market-relevant skills, entrepreneurship, digital transformation and innovation ecosystems, decent jobs, access to finance, and meaningful participation in decision-making processes,” Wakana said.
Minister of Youth Affairs Ibrahim Sannoh brought a more personal dimension to the celebration. Rather than focusing solely on policies and programmes, Sannoh drew from his own life story, using his personal journey to inspire young people to believe in themselves and remain determined despite difficult circumstances. His message resonated with the young audience, many of whom are navigating unemployment, financial challenges, limited opportunities and the pressure to succeed.
The celebration was, therefore, more than a commemoration. It became a platform for young people to showcase their potential while government and development partners outlined efforts to expand opportunities in employment, entrepreneurship, skills development, innovation and meaningful participation in national development.
