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MOYA introduces inclusivity in SGS

  • Minster of Youth Affairs launch Social Good Summit

By Nasratu Kargbo

The Deputy Country Representative UNDP, Ms. Rokya Ye Dieng has told journalists during the weekly government news conference that this year’s Social Good Summit (SGS) has introduced new dimension of inclusiveness into the competition for young people with solution for assistive technology mainly to support people with disability. She explained that cash prizes will be given to winners and runners up to encourage them to continue investing in their solutions.

The SGS is to help able-bodied youth investigate limitations, design and propose possible solutions to overcome the limitations experienced by persons with disability and help such persons in designing tools or solutions that can help them walk around their limitations using low, medium or high tech solutions.

The Country Representative expressed happiness for being part of the summit to raise awareness, inspire global action and explore accelerating means of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She stated the summit greatly contributes to regeneration and limitation to address young people’s needs and to recognize and promote the role of youths as positive agents of change.

Ms Ye Dieng said that the UNDP in partnership with the government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Youth Affairs  use the SGS as a platform for young people to showcase their talent, ideas, innovation and creativity to solve developmental challenges. She said they also recognize young people with little resources who have invested in developing their communities with interventions that immensely impact the peoples’ lives.  

She stated that UNDP will provide other opportunities such as capacity building programmes and therefore called on youths to participate saying they “want to see exciting solutions”. She said young Sierra Leoneans are dynamic with great potential adding that the SGS is one event that recognizes those potentials. 

The representative from UNICEF, Ms. Liv Elin Inderiten explained  how the summit serves as an opportunity to bring young Sierra Leoneans to the center stage in  piloting social change by encouraging national innovation to advance the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs). She congratulated the UNDP, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and other partners for such venture for the past eight years.

The Minister of Youth Affairs Orman Bangura compared the differences between 2013 - 2018 and 2018 to date, stating that before him, only two people benefited from the SGS but that since his tenure over twenty people have benefited from the summit. He explained that some won twenty million Leones along with other opportunities.      

He explained that over the years they  had  young people  competing on different topics this year, with focus  on three different areas such as food challenges, innovative ideas to get the physically challenged to fit into the society and search for trust worthy ambassadors who will serve right across the country.

The Minister explained that for 2021 they had asked youths to apply online stating in every council at district level and the chiefdoms will have the forms available.

This year the winners will get cash prizes for the different challenges including on agricultural innovation and impact. Winners will get 20 million Leones and runners up 10 million Leones. The application is ongoing and the deadline is on the 15th October 2021, with the competition starting at district and regional levels before coming to the national event and award ceremony scheduled for the 1st November. 

The minister spoke about the youth Car Wash Project which President Julius Maada Bio promised to erect right across the country and for which the Ministry of Finance has disbursed the second trench of funds for the project.      

Copyright © Politico Online (20/09/21)

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