Sierra Leone – A graveyard for youthful ambition

Alpha Amadu Jalloh: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 15 January 2025:

Unveiling the social imbalance in Sierra Leone is not just a necessity but a moral obligation. At the heart of this imbalance lies the tragedy of our nation’s youth, the supposed heartbeat of our future, now reduced to the residual waste of a society stripped of its moral fabric.

Sierra Leone, a country once admired for its resilience, is fast becoming a graveyard for youthful ambition. A society that does not nurture its young is one that asphyxiates its own future at birth.

Our country’s youth face a grim reality, a lack of guidance, opportunity, and hope. The very structures meant to empower them have become tools of oppression and neglect. Leadership is absent, and society appears indifferent.

Parents, too often consumed by the struggle for survival or distractions of modernity, fail to instil values and purpose in their children. A generation adrift is a society in decay, and this decay is palpable in Sierra Leone today.

The tragedy of youth neglect is magnified by the actions or inactions of our leaders. President Julius Maada Bio’s administration exemplifies this failure. The individuals appointed to lead the Ministry of Youth Affairs are a testament to how little the government prioritizes its youth.

The minister in charge faces accusations of corruption and moral failure, while the deputy minister openly boasts about support from the First Lady. How can individuals with such questionable integrity advocate for and uplift our vulnerable youth?

Leadership, at its core, demands trust, vision, and empathy. Yet, what we see instead are individuals with no genuine concern for the welfare of young people. This is a betrayal of the trust placed in the government by its citizens. It is a glaring indictment of a system that has abandoned its moral and ethical responsibilities.

To pacify development partners, the government employs superficial measures, presenting a facade of progress while neglecting the real issues. Funds allocated for youth programs rarely reach their intended beneficiaries. Instead, they are siphoned off or mismanaged, leaving young people with no tangible support.

This negligence is not new. In 2003, I represented Sierra Leone at the World Youth Congress in Morocco, where over eight hundred young leaders from around the globe signed the Casablanca Declaration. This document urged governments to allocate 0.07% of their annual budgets to youth development.

More than two decades later, Sierra Leone has yet to honour this commitment. Instead of investing in education, job creation, and skill development, our politicians exploit the vulnerability of young people during elections.

During election seasons, the same youths who are neglected and marginalized are suddenly indispensable. Politicians manipulate their desperation, offering drugs and alcohol in exchange for their participation in violence and unrest.

Once elections are over, these young people are discarded, left to face the consequences of their actions alone. Their lives, already precarious, spiral further into despair, exacerbated by a legal system that is inconsistent and indifferent to their plight.

Meanwhile, the children of the political elite live lives of privilege, studying abroad and preparing to inherit positions of power. This creates a vicious cycle: the children of the elite return to lead a generation of disillusioned, disempowered youths, perpetuating the same system that exploits and oppresses them.

This is not governance, it is a calculated destruction of potential.

Today, the only inheritance left for many of our young people is “KUSH,” a destructive drug that has ravaged our communities. It symbolizes the hopelessness that pervades our society, a symptom of deeper systemic failures.

With no opportunities, no role models, and no hope, many youths turn to substance abuse as a form of escape.

This despair is compounded by a culture of “Lay Bellehism,” a term that reflects the growing apathy and dependency in our society. Young people are increasingly becoming blind followers, unable to envision a future beyond survival.

This mindset, passed down from one generation to the next, ensures the perpetuation of a society devoid of ambition and innovation.

Our youths are the heartbeats of our nation; they are not disposable. They are the architects of Sierra Leone’s future, and we cannot afford to neglect them any longer. It is time for President Bio to take bold and decisive action.

The first step is to remove the current Minister and Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, whose credibility and competence are in question. These positions must be filled by individuals with a proven track record in youth development, people who understand the challenges and are committed to finding solutions.

Why has the president overlooked seasoned experts like Mr. Charles Lahai, who has dedicated his career to empowering young people? There are countless others with the vision and experience needed to transform the Ministry of Youth Affairs into a force for good.

The president’s failure to appoint capable leaders is not just an oversight; it is a disservice to the nation.

Empowering our youth requires more than just words; it demands action. The government must prioritize education, vocational training, and job creation.

Resources must be allocated transparently, with mechanisms in place to ensure that funds reach those who need them most.

We must also address the cultural and societal factors contributing to youth disenfranchisement. Parents and community leaders have a role to play in instilling values, discipline, and a sense of purpose in our young people.

Schools must go beyond academics to teach life skills, ethics, and leadership.

Finally, we must challenge the systemic inequalities that perpetuate the cycle of poverty and dependency. This means holding our leaders accountable, advocating for policy changes, and creating a society where every young person has the opportunity to thrive.

Sierra Leone stands at a critical juncture. The choices we make today will determine the future of our nation. Will we continue to neglect our youth, allowing them to drift further into despair?

Or will we recognize them as the heartbeats of our nation, investing in their potential and empowering them to lead us into a brighter future?

The answer lies not just with the government but with every citizen. We must demand better from our leaders, hold them accountable, and refuse to accept the status quo.

Our youths deserve more than empty promises and superficial fixes. They deserve a society that values their contributions, nurtures their talents, and empowers them to succeed.

The heartbeat of Sierra Leone lies in its youth, but that heartbeat is weakening. Neglect, exploitation, and systemic failures have left a generation adrift, their potential squandered. This is not just a tragedy for our young people, it is a tragedy for our nation as a whole.

As citizens, we have a responsibility to stand up for our youth, to demand change, and to hold our leaders accountable. President Bio must take immediate action to address the systemic issues affecting our young people, starting with the removal of incompetent leaders in the Ministry of Youth Affairs.

The time for excuses is over. The time for action is now. Our youths are the heartbeats of our nation, and it is our duty to ensure that they are not neglected any longer. Let us rise to this challenge, for the future of Sierra Leone depends on it.