Freetown, 25 May, 2023 / 8:40 pm (ACI Africa).
Concerted efforts need to be made for the youth in Sierra Leone, especially women, to have a “meaningful participation” in politics and peacebuilding initiatives in the West African nation, the Executive Director of Caritas Freetown in the country has said.
In his keynote speech delivered during the launch of the “Youth in Politics and Peacebuilding” Project, Fr. Peter Konteh highlights entities that can facilitate youth participation in decision-making processes in the country, including the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and political leaders at the grassroots.
“I urge our politicians, paramount chiefs, security structures, Election Management Bodies, especially the Sierra Leone National Electoral Commission … Civil Society Organizations invited here today to unite their voices into a commitment for action to improve the lot of youth in politics and peacebuilding,” Fr. Konteh said Tuesday, May 23 at Sherimem’s Hotel in Waterloo City, Sierra Leone.
When stakeholders unite their voices, the Sierra Leonean Caritas official said, “we can develop and implement policies that facilitate the meaningful participation of young people, particularly young women, in politics and peacebuilding.”
Some of the factors behind underrepresentation of young people in decision-making processes, he said, include the fostering of retrogressive cultural beliefs and norms, limited access to civic education, high rates of illiteracy, low awareness of civic responsibilities, inadequate economic empowerment, lack of entrepreneurship skills, and limited technical expertise, among others.
