Liberia: NAYMOTE Supports 15 Count Youth Manifesto

Ahead of the 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections, the National Youth Movement for Transparent Elections (NAYMOTE) has  embarked on supporting key thematic programs, “mainly those run by young people across the country so as to ensure genuine transformation of the population most times used and abandoned by politicians.”

Recently, NAYMOTE, at its headquarters in Paynesville, accommodated representatives of youth organizations, including political and civil society, and shared with them their concerns itemized into a manifesto containing fifteen (15) counts, specifically calling on political leaders to allow them to have a stake in the development agenda of Liberia.

Jethro S. K. Harris, Evangeline D. Sirleaf and Rosetta Fardolo, all young people from diverse political and civil society persuasions, as well as leaders of the steering committee, addressed journalists at the manifesto launch ceremony in Paynesville. 

“This Manifesto represents the true aspirations of all young people across the country. We are grateful that NAYMOTE engaged all of us young people sitting here and we are from across the fifteen subdivisions of our country and each young person spoke in the direction as contained in our manifesto,” Harris said, adding that for too long politicians have used young people for, most times, the wrong reasons and now is time for the youth to have access to what they deserve.

He explained that NAYMOTE held a series of conferences with them beginning in October and points agreed on in the fourteen counties were brought to Montserrado, completing the number of the fifteen counties, and agreed upon for onward delivery to leaders of political parties who are vying to lead the country.

“We, the young people from Liberia, across the 15 counties, political parties, civil society, youth and student organizations, do hereby present the following as the ‘National Youth Manifesto for 2023’ and call on political parties, presidential and legislative candidates to integrate these as policy issues in their electoral manifestos for the 2023 elections and work toward their achievement after elections,” the Manifesto says.

On Education, the young people included in their manifesto that a National Student Loan scheme be established in order to provide financial support to students at tertiary levels. “This scheme should cover tuition and living allowances.”

The manifesto also called on would be political leaders to ensure the establishment of a National Technical and Vocational Education Authority (NTVEA) to govern and improve the TVET component of education, noting further that a TVET curriculum be established for all high schools across the country and ensure there is access to quality TVET education in all of the fifteen counties.

“We call for the ‘Establishment of Science, Technology, and Innovation Centers for young people in the counties and the Integration of Entrepreneurship in high school curriculum,” the manifesto concluded on education.

About youth empowerment and employment, a campaign promise politicians run with but barely implement upon winning elections, the young people said it is their wish that all political campaign manifestos embed the establishment of a compulsory and paid National Youth Service program for all graduating senior students in the country.

“We cannot overemphasize the establishment of a national youth empowerment loan scheme through government financing for Liberian youth entrepreneurs and start-ups in technology and other sectors. We also want a special government program to allocate and improve access to finance for climate-smart youth agriculture programs for young farmers and entrepreneurs in the agriculture sector,” the manifesto contains.

The youth also called for the “immediate passage and enforcement of Legislation against harmful and forceful initiation of boys and girls in socio-cultural and religious practices that negatively affect their sexual, reproductive, emotional and psychological development.”

In continuation of pushing the health and gender development pillar of the manifesto, they also called for the establishment of special programs in schools that will accommodate pregnant women wanting to continue their education while they are pregnant.

“The provision of free sanitary products, through government financing for girls in primary, junior and secondary schools should be given priority,” they said, adding, “We also call for the establishment of psychosocial and rehabilitation centers for treatment, rehabilitation, and social reintegration of young people using narcotic and harmful drugs.”

On governance and the rule of law, the young people called for “robust action against corruption in the public sector; the strengthening of anti-corruption and pro-accountability agencies and a robust enforcement of the National Code of Conduct for Public Officials.”

“The full implementation of the Local Governance Act and Revenue Sharing Law to allow for decentralization and local development in the counties as well as the establishment of a specialized anti-corruption court for handling the prosecution of all corruption related cases should be given due attention,” the youth continued in their manifesto.

The also called for promulgation of laws and policies that promote sustainable development, particularly in the management of natural resources; and taking action to promote awareness on climate change and adaptability across the country.

“We, the young people, trust that our national leaders, political leaders determined to change our lives for the good and prepare us for the future will listen to us, consider our demands, prioritize our development, and make us compete in all fields of human progress,” they concluded.

Eddie Jarwolo, Executive Director of NAYMOTE thanked the youth as he received from them the manifesto.

“In Liberia, youth development issues remain at the bottom of the policy ladder and unattended for the most part,” Jarwolo said.

He added that the lack of investment and bold policies for youth has increased unemployment among the Liberian youth, and this is further worsened by the lack of training and educational opportunities,” he said, noting that the consequences resulting from government not catering enough for the youth are terrible and may continue to carry the country down the drain.

Jarwolo noted that political leaders most often use the young people as instruments of violence against opponents.

“It is against this backdrop that Naymote Partners for Democratic Development is investing in the youth segment of our population by empowering them to create awareness of their Youth Manifesto as we head towards the 2023 elections,” he indicated.

He explained that the manifesto was developed in October 2022 through a well de-centralized and inclusive process that brought over four hundred (400) young leaders in politics, civil society, youth and student organizations leaders from across the fifteen counties.

He delivered to the youth a cheque containing L$150,000, the equivalent of (US$1,000) for the awareness campaign.

“In fulfillment of the Naymote’s commitment to the Youth Manifesto, the institution is donating an initial contribution of L$150,000  to the National Steering Committee on the National Youth Manifesto towards 2023 general and Presidential Elections to rollout nationwide public engagements and advocacy on the manifesto; ensuring that citizens and political actors are knowledgeable about the issues the young people care about,” concluded, noting that the national youth manifesto should be considered a national priority all actors.