By Alpha Conteh
Freetown, 6th October 2026- Dr Ibrahim Bangura has called for a comprehensive national strategy to tackle youth unemployment and the growing drug crisis, warning that Sierra Leone’s young population should be viewed as an economic asset rather than a burden.
Speaking on the challenges facing young people, the APC Flagbearer contender argued that lasting solutions to drug abuse must go beyond law enforcement and address the deeper social and economic factors driving many youths into substance use.
“Our young people are not a burden to be managed. They are an economic asset waiting to be developed, empowered and put to work,” he said.
He noted that Sierra Leone remains a traumatised society more than two decades after the end of the civil war in 2002, adding that many of the underlying grievances that fuelled the conflict were never fully addressed.
According to him, while the war formally ended with the signing of peace agreements, many young people continued to feel excluded from economic opportunities and decision-making processes. As frustrations grew, they turned to music and community spaces to express their concerns about unemployment, inequality and their uncertain future.
He cited the rise of local “Ataya Bases” as an example of how young people created alternative social spaces to discuss their challenges, aspirations and frustrations. Many even referred to these gathering spots as a form of “youth parliament”, reflecting what he described as a growing disconnect between young people and state institutions.
Dr Bangura criticised successive governments for failing to adopt a comprehensive approach to youth development, arguing that investment in education, skills training, agriculture and career development is essential to unlocking the country’s demographic potential.
“A youthful population should be a productive population,” he said, stressing that government policies must focus on creating pathways to employment and economic participation.
He pointed to agro-based industries, value-chain development and targeted youth empowerment funds as practical interventions that could reduce poverty and provide hope for thousands of young people across the country.
Such investments, he argued, would not only improve livelihoods but also help address feelings of hopelessness among unemployed graduates and other young people struggling to find work.
“People complete university and spend years without employment opportunities,” he said, warning that failure to create jobs and economic opportunities risks deepening social frustration among the country’s youth.
He concluded that meaningful investment in young people is critical to national development, emphasising that improving living conditions, expanding employment opportunities and ensuring greater state engagement with youth are key to building a more stable and prosperous Sierra Leone.
