Central Business District, Freetown, Tuesday 22 August 2023 – Chief Minister of Sierra Leone, Dr David Moinina Sengeh, has engaged traders and residents, mostly young people, in the Central Business District, CBD, of Freetown, after various support groups asked him to address them on youth empowerment and the government’s Big Five agenda.
The meeting, held at a hall in Belgium along Lightfoot Boston and Percival Streets, brought together people from Government Wharf, Falcon Bridge, Shore Pit, King Jimmy, Sweizzy Jewellers, Peter’s Brook, Belgium, Kroo Bay, Kroo Town Road communities, Malama Thomas Street, among many others.
Chairman of the ceremony, Moses Bona, said they appreciated President Dr Julius Maada Bio for appointing the Chief Minister and many other young people to his cabinet. He recalled the formation of their various support groups in the CBD in 2012, adding that since then they had become stronger and bigger in size in terms of organisation.
Chairmen for other communities requested government support in the areas of skills training, financial support to boost their businesses, and the empowerment of young people in the slum communities. They called on the Ministry of Youth Affairs to assist them with fishing boats so that more young people would be engaged.
Chairlady for all the support groups in the CBD, Mama Haja Adama, called on government to provide jobs for their children, some of whom she noted were graduates and pushed for scholarships for others.
Chairman Alhaji Maady Kallon requested that the government construct an ultra-modern store in the CBD that would host and store their businesses and increase revenue generation for the government.
In his remarks, Chief Minister, Dr David Moinina Sengeh, informed the young people that he was engaging them as part of his functions and role as a government official, reminding them that it was important that they elected the right people into positions of trust. He, therefore, thanked them for the re-election of President Julius Maada Bio.
“I am happy to be here today in response to the request you made through my office. As a government, we believe that government is the people, and that trust that you have reposed in this government has resulted in my timely response to your request for an engagement,” he said.
He emphasised that peace was important and that the meeting was possible because the atmosphere was peaceful. He called on young people to be mindful of the fact that they were peacemakers, adding that peace in their respective communities and the country was in their hands.
Chief Minister also reminded the gathering that the government had engaged extensively in drug control and abuse, especially among young people. He cited mental health statistics from the Mental Health Hospital in Kissy that recently recorded more cases of drug intake.
“This shows that we have an epidemic of drugs in our country. Young people must become agents of change. We are progressive young people, and President Bio believes that young people can change the narratives,” he assured.
He called on the young people to join President Bio and his young cabinet to make a historic transformation of the country by actualising the government’s Big Five agenda.
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