President Julius Maada Bio delivered a candid and unflinching message to Sierra Leone\u2019s youth during the country\u2019s 65th Independence Day address, acknowledging the deep frustrations of unemployment while urging young people to reject drugs, substance abuse, and crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking directly to the nation\u2019s young population, whom he described as \u201cthe cornerstone of our society,\u201d the President did not shy away from the harsh realities facing Sierra Leonean youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe frustration of finishing school and not finding work quickly enough is real,\u201d Bio said. \u201cThe frustration of carrying ambition in an economy that has not yet created enough room for it is real. The temptation to believe that your future lies somewhere else is real.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bio told young Sierra Leoneans that they \u201cdeserve honesty from your government\u201d<\/em> and \u201cdeserve effort from your government.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He outlined ongoing initiatives in agriculture, education, energy, enterprise, and skills development as pathways that will \u201copen wider pathways\u201d for the country\u2019s youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe purpose of our policies is to improve the life opportunities of citizens,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, the President issued a stern warning against the dangers of drug abuse, which has become a growing concern in Sierra Leone, particularly with the rise of synthetic drugs like \u2018Kush\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI ask you to reject drugs, substance abuse, and crime, because Sierra Leone needs your strength whole, your judgment clear, and your talent fully alive,\u201d<\/em> Bio said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a notable departure from traditional political rhetoric, Bio positioned young people as active partners in national development rather than passive beneficiaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are building with you, not for you, and not without you,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also encouraged youth to demand accountability from their government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI also ask you to hold us accountable,\u201d<\/em> Bio said. \u201cDemand seriousness. Demand results. Demand a country that makes better use of your gifts. Sierra Leone needs your energy, your ideas, and your determination to demand more from this country.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The message struck a balance between acknowledging structural challenges and calling for personal responsibility, reflecting the administration\u2019s broader strategy of investing in human capital through its flagship Free Quality Education program while grappling with persistent youth unemployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sierra Leone has one of the youngest populations in the world, with over 60 percent of its citizens under the age of 25 according to World Bank data. However, youth unemployment rates have remained persistently high, with many educated young people unable to find formal sector work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The President\u2019s acknowledgment of the \u201ctemptation to believe that your future lies somewhere else\u201d<\/em> comes as irregular migration from West Africa to Europe continues, with many young Sierra Leoneans risking dangerous routes across the Sahara and Mediterranean Sea in search of opportunity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0-President Bio President Julius Maada Bio delivered a candid and unflinching message to Sierra Leone\u2019s youth during the country\u2019s 65th Independence Day address, acknowledging the deep frustrations of unemployment while urging young people to reject drugs, substance abuse, and crime. Speaking directly to the nation\u2019s young population, whom he described as \u201cthe cornerstone of our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/daybreaknewspapersl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/daybreaknewspapersl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/daybreaknewspapersl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daybreaknewspapersl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daybreaknewspapersl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/daybreaknewspapersl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85,"href":"https:\/\/daybreaknewspapersl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83\/revisions\/85"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daybreaknewspapersl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/84"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/daybreaknewspapersl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daybreaknewspapersl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=83"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daybreaknewspapersl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=83"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}