On Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at the Makeni City Council, the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) engaged with the mayors of Koidu New Sembehun City, Port Loko City, and Makeni City Councils. The focus of this meeting was the prerequisites for commencing the Labour Intensive Public Works (LIPWs) component of the Productive Social Safety Net and Youth Employment (PSSNYE) project.

The LIPWs program supports a community-driven participatory initiative designed to engage youth in both rural and urban areas through productive public works and life skills training. This initiative aims to provide vulnerable youth, ages 18-35, with short-term employment opportunities and essential life skills training. The program focuses on a wide range of life skills support, including conflict resolution, sanitation, hygiene, health promotion, behavior modification related to self-esteem, sexual and reproductive health, communication strategies, work readiness, teamwork, community relations, and basic business and money management practices. The program is inclusive, offering participation opportunities for persons with disabilities as well.

The implementation of the Labour-Intensive Public Works (LIPW) program will occur in selected provinces, districts, and chiefdoms based on poverty maps throughout the country. It involves three subcomponents: Sustainable Cash for Work (SCfW), Green Public Works (GPW), and Digital Public Works. Notably, the Freetown City Council is leading the pilot of the Green Public Works (GPW) subcomponent, targeting 1,000 youth in the Western Area Urban (WAU).

During the consultative meeting, Ambassador Ernest Mbaimba Ndomahina, Commissioner of NaCSA, expressed gratitude to the mayors for their cooperation since the inception meeting and throughout multiple engagements. Speaking on behalf of His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio, he emphasized the collective effort required to achieve the administration’s “big five” game changers: economic growth, resilience building through the Feed Salone agenda, Human Capital Development, Youth Employment, Public Service Architecture revamping, and advancements in Tech and Infrastructure.

Ambassador Ndomahina highlighted the importance of the LIPWs component of the PSSNYE project, focusing on engaging young people across urban and rural areas. He called on the institutions responsible for implementing various subcomponents to expedite their efforts.

The Mayor of Makeni City Council, His Worship Abubakarr Kamara, expressed his appreciation to Ambassador Ndomahina, President Julius Maada Bio, and the World Bank for their support in launching such an impactful project. Mayor Kamara assured that the mayors would collaborate to ensure the successful achievement of the LIPWs objectives, with support from NaCSA.

In the coming months, NaCSA plans to hold technical sessions with relevant municipalities to develop implementation manuals and subprojects, identify subproject sites, and outline targeting and enrollment strategies. They will also conduct Environmental and Social Risk Screening of GPW subproject sites in compliance with PSSNYE Project Environmental and Social Frameworks (ESFs), select beneficiaries through self-targeting, enrollment and registration with Orange Money, and train beneficiaries on subproject-specific activities, labor management issues, and Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (GBVSEA) prevention.