Youth Development in Liberia (An excerpt).

By: Stephen Johnson

Liberia's youth face many challenges in gaining an education either through academic or vocation that delivers them the right set of skills and knowledge demanded to become productive in today's labor market. As a result, the transition from school to work is more often than not unsuccessful such that youth end up either unemployed or underemployed in the rural, suburban and urban informal sectors.

To address these different phenomenons, I have first presented an overview about the importance of human capital in the labor market integration process before turning to the current situation being faced by Liberian youth. Based on these and many significant contributions, recommendations for policies are outlined highlighting the responses national Government and policymakers need to take in order to address the many problems and this must be done with overriding priority.

In the situation where youth are unable to make the much needed transition to the workforce after completing either academic or vocational training, government must ensure an active labor market initiative which target the youth with the requisite training and other measures that would adequately prepare them for job readiness. Ignoring these issues will only result to a sharp decrease in economic growth plus its indirectly related outcomes such as violence, conflict, mass illiteracy and poor health care etc, etc. Developing a robust educational and employment program which creates opportunity for Liberian youth must now become a significant priority of the government of Liberia.