Bangura Calls for Jobs Strategy to Address Youth Unemployment and Drug Crisis
APC Presidential Aspirant, economist, and development specialist Dr Ibrahim Bangura has called for a coordinated national response that treats youth employment and substance abuse as interconnected challenges.
Bangura made the call while discussing the pressures facing young people in Sierra Leone, arguing that the country’s youthful population should be developed as an economic resource rather than treated as a social burden.
He said efforts to address substance abuse should extend beyond enforcement and include measures that expand access to education, skills training, employment and economic opportunities.
Bangura argued that prolonged unemployment and limited opportunities can deepen frustration among young people and increase their vulnerability to social problems.
His proposed approach includes greater investment in education and technical skills, agriculture, career development and youth-focused economic programs. He also pointed to agro-processing and value-chain industries as potential areas for job creation.
The concerns he raised coincide with issues already identified in Sierra Leone’s national development planning. The government’s Medium-Term National Development Plan identifies youth unemployment and substance abuse as linked challenges and calls for expanded labour-market pathways, skills development and measures to reduce drug abuse among young people.
The government has also established the Youth Employment Scheme, which aims to create 500,000 employment opportunities for young people by 2030. The State House says the program includes job creation, support for businesses, skills development and measures addressing migration, drug abuse and youth protection.
Sierra Leone declared a national emergency on drug and substance abuse in 2024, followed by the creation of a multisectoral task force focused on prevention, treatment, social support, law enforcement and community engagement.
United Nations analysis has also identified unemployment among factors associated with substance abuse, while noting that treatment and rehabilitation services remain insufficient.
Bangura’s argument therefore places employment policy at the centre of the country’s response to substance abuse, calling for young people to be given clearer pathways into productive economic activity.
“A youthful population should be a productive population,” Bangura said, according to Truth Media.
He said failure to create meaningful opportunities for young people risks leaving graduates and other unemployed youths without viable economic prospects.