Planning Minister Barlay Reaffirms 500,000 Youth Jobs Target at Regional Summit in Freetown
Sahid Bangura Minister of Planning and Economic Development Kenyeh Barlay has reaffirmed the Government of Sierra Leone’s target of creating at least 500,000 jobs for young people by 2030 through its Youth Employment Scheme, as the government seeks to tackle unemployment and expand economic opportunities.
Barlay highlighted the target on Wednesday, 28 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 central priority under the government’s Medium-Term National Development Plan 2024–2030, with a focus on developing young people’s skills and expanding opportunities for them to contribute to national development.
The minister pointed to the Free Quality School Education programme as a foundation for long-term employment, noting that it brought more than one million additional children into school between 2019 and 2023. She said the initiative could help prepare young people for future employment, entrepreneurship and leadership.
Barlay also highlighted the Feed Salone initiative, which focuses on agriculture and fisheries, as part of the government’s efforts to promote economic transformation and create employment opportunities.
She further disclosed that 15,000 young people obtained short-term employment through the National Commission for Social Action in 2024. The beneficiaries participated in rehabilitating community schools, health centres, vocational centres and grain stores.
According to Barlay, such initiatives provide young people with income while helping them gain practical experience and develop useful skills.
However, she acknowledged that significant challenges remain, including underemployment, insecure and low-paid jobs, limited access to finance and mismatches between educational qualifications and labour-market requirements.
She stressed that investment in education must be complemented by technical and vocational training, enterprise development and access to productive employment if young people are to benefit meaningfully from economic opportunities.
Director of the Economic Commission for Africa’s Subregional Office for West Africa, Ngone Diop, also underscored the need to link investment in human capital with economic diversification, private-sector development and the creation of sustainable jobs.
Diop noted that informal employment accounted for an estimated 91.6 per cent of total employment in West Africa in 2025, highlighting the need for improved job security, better incomes and greater opportunities for career advancement.
The meeting in Freetown is expected to contribute to regional policy recommendations aimed at advancing youth employment, economic transformation and resilience across West Africa.
