THE FUTURE OF SIERRA LEONE AND AFRICA BELONGS TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION
The riverbanks and pillars of our future are frail which means the future generation is at the ground of gambling. Those frail riverbanks can only be strengthened when the successors [Youth] are mentally, economically, emotionally, socially fixed, and fully empowered with a focused mindset and are given the lens to glance through the heart of the future. The tools are there, young people are willing to give all they have for a better tomorrow and that is BEAUTIFUL! Awfully a pity to notice that change has been hankering for the skin of its people but to no avail. It is only when a nation is ready to see through the borders of young people's potential then change will come at their doors.
The clouds are extremely clear for those who have the vision of
an eagle to make use of what is at their disposal [Youth] or else the future's
older self-will badly perish because of negligence, flimsy thinking from those
are responsible to think uprightly!
Over the years, young people across Sierra Leone have given up
on their struggles, their leaders, and their futures so they have dropped out
of school, engaged in heavy consumption of drugs and alcohol, arm robbery,
kidnapping, theft, sexual harassment, and the likes because that is where they
have shifted their minds.
Within the Sierra Leone context, young people [youth] are people
between the ages of 15-35.
They have practically made up 80% of the population but these
innovative, passionate and vibrant people are struggling to achieve their
goals. Now they are seen to be the victims of all sorts of violence and also
the perpetrators. Despite their ideas and power to change bad situations to
good, their dreams and aspirations are still in the drain.
When one imagines the capabilities these young people possess,
it could surprise you that 60% to 70% of them are living their lives
unemployed.
The country is said to have one of the highest numbers of
unemployed youth in West Africa.
According to the Sierra Leone Labour Force Survey, the
unemployment rate is higher among youth than those aged 35 and above. Sierra
Leone is known for its mineral resources but yet
still, there are few jobs for a population of 7,976,983.
A lack of skills and experience is cited as one of the main
reasons for the high youth unemployment rate. So true but how can they get
empowered without learning skills? How
can they stop stealing and all those bad things they do in the
night without giving them the platform to establish skills like tailoring,
graphic design, filmmaking, and many more?
The youth are encountering more hardship and unemployment than
ever before especially during this pandemic. They lack a sense of belonging in
their communities and the
country as a whole. The future often craves equality [for women
and girls] freedom, justice, and employment. When all these fail to be
delivered by the government, it causes youth to fly
across dangerous borders to find jobs, freedom, and justice even
if it costs them their lives.
Every country in the world is fully aware that young people
constitute a huge percentage of the population yet they remain marginalized,
neglected, and forgotten. The minds of the youth
are playing negatively and sometimes they find it very difficult
to control their burning emotions so they go wild like hungry lions.
Therefore, to ease their stress and please themselves, they join
bad groups, go to the ghettos or become involved in criminal offenses. If rural
migrants who have flown to the city expecting greener pastures do not find them
it can result in drainage of development and the country will have an
eco-system of gangs.
food prices sets a serious threat to food security in Sierra
Leone. This is another major problem for young people in Sierra Leone. There is
an adage that says a hungry man is an
angry creature. This is a huge call to action for the world to
support and invest in agriculture and the president to look into the issue of Price
Control.
Malnourished children have impaired immune systems that
predispose them to sickness and death. Nutrition is intimately interrelated
with communicable diseases such as HIV and
tuberculosis and it plays an important role in the etiology,
complications, and therapy of these diseases. Women who are malnourished are
more likely to face reproductive problems
that can lead to maternal and infant deaths. Improved nutrition
reduces the severity of some
diseases and minimizes the incidence of others.
Countless young farmers need financial, business skills, and
technical support to feed the country, as they are ready to farm.
Farmers in the upland country can produce what they eat but not
as much as they will sell.
They lack things like; simple farm tools [hoes, cutlass, rain
boots, rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, and many more. They lack seeds like rice,
maize, onions, tomatoes, and pepper, and more. Even though they are ready to
farm they also need educations and skills on how to do it efficiently and
effectively.
Cope with climate change, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss
1. Satisfy consumers’ changing tastes and expectations
2. Meet rising demand for more food of higher quality
3. Invest in farm productivity
4. Adopt and learn new technologies
5. Stay resilient against global economic factors
6. Inspire young people to stay in rural areas and become future
farmers
Since the initiative of the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals [SGDS], young people have been at the forefront in making
sure they join the forces of change by forming sustainable organizations with
sustainable ideas but they have not been receiving financial support from the
government neither from any large international organizations. If you ask me,
this has
hindered the smooth running of the SDGs in Sierra Leone.
Having served in the capacity of local peacebuilding,
facilitation, coordinating young people, advocacy, entrepreneurship, research,
and youth capacity building
Sierra Leone is a very peaceful country but the lack of love,
unity and gross selfishness among our leaders has brought about this epidemic
called violence among you people and such has eaten the minds of young people
today across Sierra Leone and Africa.
Until you have what is now referred to as ''Cabal'' then you are
ready to survive or if you have a better paid job.
The issue of child sexual abuse, emotional abuse, offline and online bullying and corporal punishment is on the increase like never before.
If we want to see a better future for Sierra Leone and Africa, we must reclaim our dignity and restore our self-prestige. The children are looking up to us, the future is not tomorrow, it is now. Therefore, if we want the Sierra Leone we all have been yearning for, the present must be taken care of very well by teaching the values of humanity to our children, both in schools, homes, where we are Kings and Queens, Prince and Princess, Presidents and the likes. Sierra Leone and Africa are ours if we do not make it, the world will help us in making it but we shall pay a heavy price, that prize we are going to pay will take us back to eras of endless and horrible slavery.
