By Stacy Smith Communication Assistant- UNDP Liberia
IPNEWS: Every generation inherits responsibility. Ours is clear: to ensure that Liberia’s young people are not simply prepared for the future, they are empowered to shape it.
As we celebrate International Youth Month, we are reminded that young people are far more than beneficiaries of development programmes or participants in national conversations. They are entrepreneurs creating jobs where none exist or limited. They are innovators solving local problems with technology. They are peacebuilders strengthening their communities. They are artists changing the narratives. They are students preparing to lead institutions that will define Liberia’s future.
During the launch of the Liberia National Economic Students Hub, the Central Bank of Liberia Executive Governor, Henry F. Saamoi stated that, “more than 60 percent of Liberia’s population is under the age of 35”. As a result, the country’s future will be determined not by the decisions we make for young people, but by the opportunities we create with them.
The question before us is no longer whether young people have the potential as every day across Liberia, they demonstrate remarkable resilience, creativity and determination despite facing significant challenges. But rather the question is whether we, as a nation, are investing enough in the potential we have.
Many young Liberians continue to navigate unemployment, limited access to quality education, barriers to finance, unequal access to digital technologies, and shrinking economic opportunities. Yet these challenges are not reasons for pessimism. Instead, they are calls to action.
How UNDP is involved
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) believes that youth empowerment is not a stand-alone agenda, it is the foundation for sustainable development because investing in young people strengthens economies, builds more peaceful societies, accelerates innovation, and creates institutions that are more inclusive and responsive.
This belief guides UNDP’s partnership with the Government of Liberia and a growing network of public institutions, universities, civil society organizations and private sector partners.
Across the country, UNDP works with young people to expand access to digital skills, entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership opportunities. Through initiatives such as the University Innovation Pod (UniPod), young innovators are turning ideas into practical solutions that respond to local development challenges. Through support for Liberia’s first master’s Programme in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Liberia, UNDP is helping to prepare a new generation of professionals equipped to lead in an increasingly digital world.
Innovation, however, extends beyond technology.
Young Liberians are leading peacebuilding initiatives, strengthening social cohesion, promoting dialogue, and demonstrating that sustainable peace depends on meaningful youth participation. Across communities, young women and men continue to show that leadership is not defined by age but by action.
Economic empowerment is equally essential.
A young person with access to skills, mentorship, financing and markets becomes more than an employee seeking work. They become entrepreneurs creating opportunities for others, an innovator addressing community challenges, and a contributor to national development.
This is why partnerships matter.
No single institution can unlock Liberia’s demographic dividend alone. Government, development partners, academia, civil society and the private sector each have a role to play in ensuring that young people are equipped not only to participate in the economy but also to shape its future.
What Youth Month is
International Youth Month is therefore more than a celebration. It is a reminder of our collective responsibility. It challenges us to ask difficult questions:
- Are we creating education systems that prepare young people for the jobs of tomorrow?
- Are we investing enough in innovation and entrepreneurship?
- Are young women receiving equal opportunities to lead?
- Are young people included in decisions that affect their future?
- Are we listening to their ideas or simply speaking on their behalf?
The answers to these questions will determine not only the future of Liberia’s youth but the future of Liberia itself.
Young people do not expect every door to be opened for them. They ask for something much simpler – a fair opportunity to contribute, to innovate, to lead, and to succeed.
Their energy is undeniable.
Their ideas are transformative.
Their commitment to Liberia is evident.
What they need is sustained investment, trusted partnerships and the confidence of those who have the power to create opportunities.
UNDP’s obligation
UNDP remain committed to working alongside the Government of Liberia and its partners to ensure that young people are equipped with the skills, opportunities and platforms they need to thrive. However, lasting change requires a national commitment that extends beyond one month of celebration.
This International Youth Month, let us move beyond promises and invest boldly in the generation that will build the Liberia we all aspire to see.
Because when Liberia invests in its youth, it is investing in its own future.
