Youth Employment in post conflict settingA look at the case of Liberia

By Eugene L. Nagbe

Minister of Youth and SportsRepublic of Liberia

Background• Following 14 years of civil strife that ended in 2003, 58% of

Liberia’s population lives in severe poverty and 84% lives below the income poverty line;

• 75% of the population in Liberia is under the age of 35 and a third of the population (1.15 million people) comprise the generation that grew up during the civil conflict years and are now between the ages 15-34;

• The most vulnerable youth in Liberia belongs to at least one of the following groups: Ex-combatant youth, poor and poorly educated youth, young mothers and rural youth;

• Strengthening the African Youth Charter, an international treaty that was passed into law in Liberia in 2011. The charter defines youth as young people between the ages 15 and 35.

The Present • The Government of Liberia “Agenda for Transformation” a

national vision strategy to make Liberia a middle income country by 2030 focuses on among other things, poverty reduction by creating an enabling legal environment for youth policy.

• The Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS) in 2012 crafted a National Youth Policy for Liberia (NYP 2012-17): A Framework for Setting Priorities and Executing Action on youth development.

• The Government of Liberia plan to invest US$75million over five years for youth employment through the Liberia Youth Employment Programme (LYEP);

Liberia Youth Employment Program (LYEP)

LYEP was launched on March 1, 2013

Development Objectives:• Provide Opportunities to Empower youth• Increase employability and employment of

vulnerable youth (18-35 age-group)

Focus

Strengthening youth participation and leadership development

Job creation for the youth

Supporting vocational and entrepreneurial skills development

Supporting provision of life skills

Government Priority AreasHigh Priority /Low Hanging Fruits Other Priority Areas

1. Youth in Agribusiness 1. ICT

2. Community Education Teaching Assistants

2. Security

3. Auxiliary Health Care Assistants 3. Transportation

4. Waste and Sanitation Management 4. Construction

5. Youth in Trades and Vocation 5. Road maintenance

6. Reclamation of mining lands

Target Beneficiaries

Unemployed and vulnerable youth (18-35 years of age). Special consideration include the following: • Dropouts from school and training institutions• Youth living in slums, city streets, high risk and

impoverished communities• Youth without opportunity to attend formal education• Single parent youth• Physically challenged youth• Youth who have completed secondary school or

tertiary institutions

LYEP SWOT ANALYSISStrength • Major focus is on youth• Program designed in line with Liberia’s National Youth

Policy and Action Plan (2012-2017) Weakness• Low staff capacity in workforce development for youth

employment • Lack of comprehensive database on youth in the program• Lack of approved Information, Education and

Communication (IEC) materials on LYEP. 

Opportunities• The LYEP is government’s own flagship program for youth

employment and empowerment in Liberia over the next five years.

• Youth excited about taking jobs provided by LYEP• City authorities willingness to provide local leadership for the

program• Global focus on youth employment and empowerment Threats• The program’s current total dependence on government of

Liberia budgetary allotment as its only source of funding.• Unpredictable and inconsistent funding.• Competition with existing youth development and

employment initiatives currently run by government of Liberia.

 

Challenges

• Inadequate funding to cover all components of the Program.

• Recruitment methodology used did not provide opportunity for getting the number of youth under some specific categories into the program.

• Bureaucracy surrounding government procurement process caused delays in the full start of the first component of the program.

Lessons Learned

• Put in place the proper administrative structure before recruiting and deploying youth in workforce.

• Acquire necessary tools and work equipment before deployment of youth workers.

• Ensure that recruitment processes are targeted and transparent.

• Put in proper engagement media strategy at the inception of the program.

Next Steps

• Strengthen Waste and Sanitation Management Component.

• Launch the Volunteer Support Program with emphasis on deploying Education Teaching Assistants during this fiscal year.

• Launch the Vocational Trades and Entrepreneurship Development Program with focus on increasing computer literacy among graduating high school seniors; and assisting youth establish their own businesses.

The Future• Job creation for youth across Liberia from the

most vulnerable to the least vulnerable;• Matching labor demands with existing

curricular in Higher Education, TVET and other skills training programs;

• Stable or secure source of funding;• Linking youth employment to national

reconciliation and peace building agenda.