The Youth Will Drive the Youth Agenda

Minister of Youth and Sports, Atty Cornelia W. Kruah, on Saturday, February 21, held a strategic engagement with Youth Chairpersons representing 32 of Liberia’s 43 registered political parties. The meeting provided an opportunity for the Minister to share her vision for empowering young people and to extend a hand of dialogue and collaboration toward advancing a unified youth agenda.

The engagement emphasized a key principle of the Minister’s approach; she told the Youth Chairpersons that the youth agenda must be shaped and driven by young people themselves.  Youth Chairpersons representing 32 of Liberia’s 43 registered political parties agreed on the importance of working collaboratively to design and implement initiatives that will benefit Liberian youth regardless of political affiliation.

The Minister stressed that young people must not be seen only as partners during election periods. Instead, they should remain actively involved in decision-making processes that affect their lives and future. The Minister averred that her administration is committed to providing an inclusive platform that ensures youth voices are heard and respected at all times.

According to Minister Kruah, the meeting forms part of the first phase of stakeholder engagements across the youth sector. One final consultation remains, which is the engagement with youth entrepreneurs, which will conclude the first phase of these consultations with leaders of statutory youth organizations and representatives from the creative industry.

The next phase of the Minister's engagement will focus on sports development, as the Ministry moves to engage key stakeholders in the sports sector. Through these consultations, the Minister of Youth and Sports is laying the foundation for a participatory, inclusive, and youth-driven national agenda.