By Kadijatu Bangura
The Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Kenyeh Barlay, has reaffirmed Government’s commitment to create at least 500,000 jobs for young people by 2030 under its Youth Employment Scheme.
Minister Barlay gave the assurance on Wednesday, 28th October 2026, while delivering the keynote address on behalf of Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, at the 29th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts for West Africa in Freetown.
She said youth employment remains a core pillar of the Government’s Medium-Term National Development Plan 2024-2030, which prioritizes skills development and expanding opportunities for young people to contribute to national development.
The Minister cited the Free Quality School Education programme as a foundation for long-term employment, noting that it enrolled over one million additional children between 2019 and 2023, thereby preparing them for future employment, entrepreneurship and leadership.
She also highlighted the Feed Salone initiative, which focuses on agriculture and fisheries, as a key driver of economic transformation and job creation.
According to her, 15,000 young people benefited from short-term employment in 2024 through the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), participating in the rehabilitation of community schools, health centres, vocational centres and grain stores. She said such programmes provide income while equipping youths with practical experience and skills.
However, Minister Barlay acknowledged persistent challenges including underemployment, low-paid and insecure jobs, limited access to finance and mismatch between education and labour market demands.
She stressed that investment in education must be complemented with technical and vocational training, enterprise development and access to productive employment to ensure meaningful benefits for young people.
Also speaking, Director of the Economic Commission for Africa’s Subregional Office for West Africa, Ngone Diop, emphasized the need to link human capital investment with economic diversification, private sector development and sustainable job creation.
Diop disclosed that informal employment accounted for an estimated 91.6 percent of total employment in West Africa in 2025, stressing the need for improved job security, better incomes and career advancement opportunities.
The Freetown meeting is expected to produce regional policy recommendations to advance youth employment, economic transformation and resilience across West Africa.
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