Ministry of Youths Celebrates International Youth Day
By:Alfie Barrie
The Minister of Youths, in collaboration with the United Nations Country Office in Sierra Leone and several other youth groups in the country, joined the rest of the world on Monday, August 12th, 2024, to celebrate International Youth Day. The event, held at the Sierra Palms Hotel in Aberdeen, Freetown, focused on the theme “From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development.”
In his opening remarks, Smart Hakawa from the United Nations Youth Advisory Group emphasized the importance of young people harnessing the potential of technology to drive change and development. He noted that this day is set aside to celebrate the numerous impacts young people are creating while also initiating conversations on tackling the significant challenges they face.
Rudolf Schwenk, the Country Representative of UNICEF who also represented the UN Resident Coordinator, highlighted the undeniable potential of young people. He pointed out that 1.2 billion of the world’s population consists of young people, with 90 percent residing in developing countries. In Sierra Leone, 8 out of 10 people are under the age of 35. Schwenk urged young people to utilize digital technology to address the country’s pressing problems.
The Minister of Technology and Innovation, Mrs. Salima Bah, commended young people for being an integral part of nation-building and reaffirmed her ministry’s commitment to promoting youth activities through digitization. Minister Bah noted that this year’s theme addresses current societal demands, requiring innovative approaches to solving them. She emphasized that by 2035, Sierra Leone must prepare its young minds to be not just consumers of digitization but innovators as well.
In his keynote address, the Minister of Youth, Mohamed Orman Bangura, remarked that the world is experiencing a digital revolution that the current young generation must embrace as a tool for progress and positive change in society. Minister Bangura connected the day’s celebration with President Bio chairing the United Nations Security Council, attributing this achievement to the peace and tranquility in the country. He also mentioned that his ministry is nearly 40 percent complete in fulfilling the promise of creating five thousand jobs for young people.
