Liberia, ECOWAS Explore Youth Employment, Sports Development Partnership

Monrovia, Liberia: The Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are exploring areas of collaboration aimed at expanding opportunities for Liberian youth through sports development, vocational training, and potential youth engagement in local revenue collection.

The discussions took place during an inception meeting between Youth and Sports Minister Atty. Cornelia Wonkerleh Kruah and ECOWAS Resident Representative to Liberia, H.E. Mohammed Kenewui Konneh, at the Ministry in Monrovia.

The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between the Ministry and the regional body, with emphasis on youth empowerment, technical and vocational education, and sports as a means of developing talent and creating economic opportunities.

During the meeting, Konneh highlighted the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Center and stressed the need to give greater attention to sports alongside broader youth development initiatives.

He also presented an initiative being considered in Sierra Leone that would engage young people in supporting local councils with revenue collection. He suggested that Liberia could explore a similar approach in collaboration with the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), particularly in property tax and real estate-related revenue collection.

In response, Minister Kruah pointed to Liberia’s National Cadet Program, which prepares young people for professional engagement by placing them in various public institutions.

The Minister said the program, which currently has approximately 1,150 cadets, could provide a framework for exploring the ECOWAS proposal.

She invited the regional body to consider partnering with the Ministry through the program, while emphasizing the need for further discussions to determine how such cooperation could be implemented.

Minister Kruah acknowledged concerns surrounding the facility and disclosed that she had personally visited the site to assess the work being undertaken.

According to the Minister, work remains on hold while ECOWAS seeks clarification regarding the proposed partitioning of office spaces.

She expressed hope that the outstanding issues would be resolved to allow work on the facility to proceed.

The center was highlighted during the meeting as an important area for regional cooperation, particularly in advancing sports and youth development initiatives.

Looking ahead, Minister Kruah disclosed that the Ministry intends to place greater emphasis on sports programming in the coming year, with a focus on talent development, scouting, and building a sustainable sports economy.

She emphasized the need to create more opportunities for young people to develop their abilities and participate in the sports industry.

The Minister said strengthening sports development could help connect young people with opportunities while supporting broader youth empowerment efforts.

The discussions also covered ECOWAS-supported programs involving the Klay and Tumutu vocational institutions, which the Minister identified as important areas of cooperation in skills development.

The programs are expected to remain part of broader discussions on strengthening vocational training and expanding opportunities for Liberian youth.

To move the discussions forward, Minister Kruah proposed a working session between the Ministry and ECOWAS to identify priority areas and establish a framework for potential joint initiatives.

The proposed session is intended to help both institutions define practical areas of collaboration in youth development, vocational training, sports advancement, and other mutually agreed priorities.

Konneh was accompanied by Dr. Adama Dodzi, Principal Program Officer, and Mubin Adewumi, Program Officer. The Minister was joined by Alphonso Y. Belleh, Deputy Minister for Youth Development, and Collins Tamba, Assistant Minister for Technical and Vocational Education and Training.

The meeting concluded with both sides expressing interest in strengthening engagement and identifying practical ways to advance youth empowerment and regional cooperation in Liberia.