By Mabinty M. Kamara
A youth group, Voice of Hope Youth Organization Sierra Leone, has concluded a two-day International Youth Empowerment Summit at the University of Makeni (UNIMAK) which started on 15 January.
It was attended by youth groups from across the country.
Delivering the keynote address on the theme: Engaging Youth in Promoting Peace and National Cohesion, the Inspector General of Police, Ambrose Michael Sovula said young people should be generally seen as the future of any nation since they served as the bridge between the present and future generations.
He noted the widely held view that young people are, for the most part, considered to be easily lured into participating in violent actions, thus advised that they should renounce violence and embrace peace at all times.
He encouraged the participating youth to be at the forefront of positive innovation and social change that could contribute to economic growth and development.
He added that to promote peace and national cohesion the youth should tackle hate speech and fake news in society, initiate inclusive dialogue programmes that encourage their colleagues to step forward to contribute to sustainable peace, establish interfaith platforms to prevent and manage religious conflicts, support the security sector with early warning information on potential and existing threats, and also prevent and combat youth radicalization.
“In spite of the challenges you face, always learn to take the first step; because the little efforts you make in life could lead to bigger things in future,” he said.
In his address, the head of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Francis Ben Kaifala took the attendees through the history of the revolutionary Africa Leader Thomas Sankara, who led Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987.
He explained that Sankara drastically reduced expenses of the state apparatus, which up to that point absorbed 70% of the budget. He said the corrupt were fired, the blue or luxury cars were abolished and Sankara arrived at ministerial meetings by bicycle.
He noted that women played important roles in Sankara’s administration.
“The women played an important and somewhat atypical role for an African country. In 1985 he launched the campaign against genital mutilation, he introduced divorce which could be requested by the woman without the consent of her husband in a predominantly Islamic country, feminine participation in the political life achieved unhoped levels and encouraged exercise and healthy living as a national programme: Kaifala said.
He went on to say that Sankara “believed that youth and young people were the engine of state transformation. He was a thorough revolutionary youth,’’ he explained.
The ACC boss said that Africa was particularly famous for its riches in raw materials as if that was all the continent we are about.
Speaking on youth employment, he cited an African Development Bank report that by 2050 the continent would be home to 38 of the 40 youngest countries in the world, with median populations under 25 years of age. This will result in an estimated 10-12 million new people joining the labor force every year. These statistics, he said, clearly indicated that a considerable amount of investment must go into human development to unlock a demographic dividend.
He therefore encouraged the youth to embrace the fight against corruption and move Africa forward, blaming graft for the current state of most Africa nations.
“We can start this project by the Youth way; strategic grassroots mobilizations, engaging the youths across the continent through education, and reorientation, for Africa remains in the grip of pervasive corruption, which, if not arrested, will continue to sap the continent of its life force and lay the ground for further conflicts,” he said.
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