MYS Advances Youth Employment Agenda Through Fisheries and Aquaculture TVET Roundtable
MYS Advances Youth Employment Agenda Through Fisheries and Aquaculture TVET Roundtable
Monrovia, Liberia | September 2, 2026 — The Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS), through its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program, yesterday joined the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences, development partners, and technical experts for Liberia’s first TVET in Fisheries Roundtable, aimed at expanding economic opportunities for young Liberians through skills development, entrepreneurship, and enterprise creation.
The roundtable provided a platform for stakeholders to examine how Liberia can better position its fisheries and aquaculture sector as a viable pathway for youth employment and business development.
For the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the engagement represents an important step in strengthening the connection between skills training and actual economic opportunities for young people.
The Ministry recognizes that preparing young Liberians for the world of work must go beyond classroom-based training. Young people must also be equipped with practical skills, entrepreneurial support, access to finance, and connections to markets that enable them to turn their knowledge into sustainable livelihoods and businesses.
Liberia’s fisheries and aquaculture value chain presents significant opportunities in areas including canoe and fiberglass boat construction, outboard engine repair, fishing gear production, fish feed manufacturing, aquaculture, fish processing and packaging, cold-chain services, and modern fish preservation technologies.
These opportunities are particularly relevant to young people in Liberia’s coastal and inland counties, where fisheries and aquaculture can serve as important drivers of employment, enterprise development, food security, and local economic growth.
The discussions therefore emphasized the need for an integrated pathway that supports young people from skills acquisition through enterprise development and job creation:
TRAIN → INCUBATE → FINANCE → CONNECT TO MARKETS → BUILD BUSINESSES → CREATE JOBS
As a follow-up to the roundtable, stakeholders will undertake a comprehensive assessment to inform the development of a market-oriented Fisheries TVET and Enterprise Development Program. The assessment is expected to identify market demands, skills gaps, enterprise opportunities, and other interventions required to prepare young Liberians for meaningful and sustainable participation in the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports views this initiative as consistent with its broader mandate to equip young Liberians with relevant skills and create pathways toward productive employment, entrepreneurship, and economic independence.
The Ministry commends NaFAA for convening the roundtable and acknowledges the participation of the Deputy Minister for TVET, Hon. Laraamand Shenkin Nyonton, and the Ministry’s technical team, as well as all participating institutions, development partners, and technical experts.
The Ministry remains committed to working with government institutions and partners to expand market-driven TVET opportunities and ensure that skills development translates into tangible economic opportunities for Liberia’s young population.
The goal is clear: to move young Liberians from training to opportunity, from opportunity to enterprise, and from enterprise to job creation.
A skilled youth. A productive workforce. A stronger Liberia.
