By Mohamed Shaw
With constant supervisions of the line Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Sierra Leone National Youth Service yesterday-Thursday 16th February 2023 certified three hundred and sixty (360) youth at a passing out ceremony hosted at the Peace Keeping Training Centre, Hastings in Western Rural District.
Giving out his welcome address, the Commandant Peace Keeping Mission, Col. A. O. Kamara recalled that the centre was established in 2009 by the Ministry of Defence and senior management for pre-development training of the Republic of Sierra Leone Army Forces personnel.
He said the centre is to provide tactical level pre-development training for support operations, education and issues relating to security threats in the country, as this will help greatly in the maintenance of sustainable peace in the environment.
Col. Kamara informed that the vision is to gain regional and international recognitions for excellent in peace support operations, training, education, emerging security threats and applied research. He added that the centre has involved overtime with an expanded mandate to train officers’ cadets, presidential guards, forces recognitions unit, counter terrorist response training and other courses.
He said that the centre also provides training facilities to the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) for peace support operations in pre-development field training exercise and certification of private firearm holders.
The centre is currently hosting short service of specialist officers’ cadets from Sierra Leone and the Republic of Liberia, with variant academic specialist background of medical doctors, nurses and other field of works.
He stated that as part of the Ministry of Defence, senior management in support of this Government, the centre has trained forest-guards and the national youth services corps over the period, adding that today’s marked the 5th batch of the 2023 national youth services corps volunteer.
In his statement, Minister of Youth Affairs, Mohammed Oman Bangura said that, over the years his ministry has served the young people of Sierra Leone, with car-wash centres and doled out over one hundred of motorbikes to youth across the country. He said his ministry has also built training centres for youth to get access to internet facilities and computer literacies.
Bangura said two months ago the United Nation dashed out Two Million United States Dollars to the Ministry of Youth Affairs for the development of youth. He added that his ministry has also established youth farms for youth in the country.
State House Chief Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa UN Country Rep and others also made meaningful statements to mark the passing out of the 360.
It could be recalled that the National Youth Service came into existence in 2016 after being legislated as an Act of Parliament.
