Sierra Leone popular basketball player and Ex Housemates Salone Season 1 star, Amb Mohamed Alie Jalloh popularly known as Makadunka expresses his opinions on issues regarding to youth development and how youths can be enhanced for self-development in the Africa Continent.

“The first thing I think we need to collectively do is to enhance youths through maintaining a positive mindset” he said.

He believes that mindset is everything and furthered that people leaving in the West-world countries always have this experience when visiting their mother lands, youths coming to you thinking you have arrived with everything, lots of money to share. In his talk he expresses the mentality of some Sierra Leonean youths always wanting to be in the receiving end.

“… and people want to take, they think you have to give them free…” he added.

Mohamed Alie feels that is one of the major problems hindering African youths and that the Commonwealth initiative has to prepare itself and get mentors to teach young people how to be creative and use whatever talent they have in order to enhance and develop themselves, instead of having the mentality to always getting it free from people.

“The second aspect I think we have to use tools like sports, coming from a sport background I feel like sport is one of the major tools we could use to enhance development especially the youths…” Mohamed Alie continued.

He furthered that Commonwealth has a role to play in this aspect, as well not just about providing scholarships and empowering people to go to school as he believes not everyone has to qualify or get degree. He knows a country like Sierra Leone has got so many talents to tap from if the youths are given the platform to execute them.

In his concluding statement, he added that instead of the forcing people to get degrees when they have a talent they are good at as he thinks not everyone will get a degree, be a Lawyer, or a Doctor, the Commonwealth should look into that and see how best it will come in and help the youths develop themselves. Commonwealth make this Road where people who are good at sports or other aspects of life rather than having a degree will showcase their talent.

Commonwealth Africa Initiative is a Pan Commonwealth organization with a mandate to promote the interest of the African bloc of the Commonwealth of Nations and foster more opportunities for Commonwealth Citizens from Africa. Through her scholarship program and exchange activities, the initiative helps to foster economic prosperity for Commonwealth Nations in Africa.

The initiative champions Sustainable development, economic prosperity, security and good governance across Commonwealth countries in Africa. CAFI works to achieve this mission by working in partnership with the Commonwealth, African Government, public and private institutions, as well as other regional and international development partners.