By: Hassan Osman Kargbo

Sierra Leone is a country where our youths are highly respected. They described the youth as the future leaders of the country, because many say the youths are vital when it comes to developmental strive for any nation. In Sierra Leone, they consider the youth age as someone who is between the ages of 18 to 35 years.

This is the time when they are expecting them to take decisions, decisions that could make or break their careers in life. But, many have chosen different path.   Young people have been considered as significant players in every phase of the country’s development. That is why President Bio deems it necessary to appointment block of his cabinet ministers are young and energetic youth. The confident that the President Bio has bestowed to the youth is top-notch in the country; and I am of the conviction that they can deliver in their respective positions.

The country’s minister of Youth Affairs, Mr. Mohamed Oman Bangura, was on record on one of the media houses, stating that the country is hopeful because of the ways and manners how the youths are ready to take leadership position in the country. He also pointed out that the youth of the country are ready to work both in the formal and informal sector for the betterment of the nation.

According to 2015 Census, Sierra Leone has a young population with over 55 percent of the country’s population are with the age of 18 to 35. This percentage has led to many government and nongovernmental organizations to focus on their various youth projects because they have underscored the need to boost the youths of the country.

The population clearly shows that the government really need to put more focus on the youth of the country. Many young people have faced the negative implications of war. And to build the strength of youth that are affected in the civil war, there are lot of institution across the country; that aim to train young people the necessary skills for them to be self-employed tomorrow. It not a secret that during the 11 years civil war in the country, a lot of youth faced with many obstacles and up to now they are facing the aftermath of the civil war.

However, despite the efforts from government and other international partners to capacitate the youth of the country, majority of them have decided to do otherwise. Some youth have decided to drop out from school without any tangible reasons; many are now in the street of Freetown and across the country engage in stealing and other dubious acts that may lead them to the hands of the police.

The coming of this anti human substance in the country has made things very difficult. Among other substance in the country, Kush has made things going out of hands because majority of young men and women have taken it as a food and as such they smoke it almost every day. If things continued like this, our future leaders are heading without any future in the country. This issue of Kush has been the order of the day, and 90 percent of people who engage in it are the youth of the country. The people that supposed to take the mountain of leadership tomorrow are not ready to capacitate themselves well in the country.

The million dollar question is that what our youth are turning into if the situations continued like this? The acts of violence among the youth have becoming a norm. They don’t have sympathy for themselves in any situation. The narratives of the youth in Sierra Leone need to be changed because youth are highly respected in other countries. But in Sierra Leone, majority of our countrymen don’t respect the youth because of the life they have chosen to live.

No matter the situation the youth of the country deserve better lives. Some that are in these ill activities are doing it against their wish, for some it is out of depression, peer group influence and many other unforeseen circumstances. But, if government and other partners put hands on desk, these youth will surely see the need to minimize if not to stop their cruel activities in the country.  We really need to embrace them so that they could know that they are part of the society.