Political campaigning is set to end in Sierra Leone today to allow for a day of peace rallying ahead of Saturday’s presidential and parliamentary elections - the first general elections since the departure of UN peacekeepers in 2005, and the first time since the end of the country’s brutal civil war in 2002 that power is due to pass from one peace-time government to the next.
Ninety-one percent of eligible voters are registered to cast a vote for their future tomorrow, 56 percent of whom are young people under the age of 32. At the same time, unemployment rates in the West African country run at over 70 percent, contributing to swelling numbers of restless youths on the streets of Freetown and the surrounding provinces.
These statistics underline the vital importance of the youth vote on Saturday - both in terms of decision making at the polls and stability for the future, according to the top United Nations official in Sierra Leone. “Recognizing the key role of future generations at election time may be somewhat of a truism, but in Sierra Leone this is literally the case,” said Victor Angelo, UN Executive Representative of the Secretary-General in Sierra Leone. “Any candidate wishing for success on 11 August must be able to show how he or she can shape a better future for the restless, war-weary and largely unemployed young Sierra Leoneans.”
The 1991- 2002 civil wars took a devastating toll on the young people of Sierra Leone. Many were recruited as child soldiers or mutilated for failing to join the warring factions. Since the end of the conflict, large groups of young people have found their way to the city streets, where job opportunities remain scarce and poverty is stark: Sierra Leone is currently ranked as number 176 out of 177 countries on the Human Development Index, published annually by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
“Securing decent work for youth is at the heart of the challenge for Sierra Leone,” said Bernard Mokam, Country Director of UNDP in Sierra Leone. “We often speak of the road from conflict to long-term development; here is where it starts: with education and jobs that can give young people hope and contribute to the stability and security of the country,” Mr Mokam said.
Efforts are underway, supported by the United Nations and the international community, to tackle the youth unemployment problem. With a recent contribution from the UN Peacebuilding Fund, the government of Sierra Leone has embarked on a $US 4 million project called the Youth Enterprise Development Project designed to target young people with dreams of starting their own business. Those who join the programme will be tutored by the private sector and trained on how to become successful entrepreneurs. Selected business ventures will then receive individual micro-loans to set themselves up independently.
The Youth Enterprise Development Project will have a particular focus on finding job opportunities among women in the rural areas of Sierra Leone, where traditional agriculture has suffered as a consequence of rapid urbanization. Despite urgent demand for home grown produce, many young Leoneans are reluctant to return back to villages and farms. “There is a strong perception that everyone who works in the country-side is poor. If we are serious about tackling unemployment that perception has to be broken,” said Mr. Mokam.
Photos: APC(top)and SLPP(centre) rallies in Freetown this week. Young people were dominant in all the rallies.
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