By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara
In a powerful move to tackle youth unemployment and drug addiction, the Ministry of Youth Affairs (MOYA) June 10, 2025 has partnered with Milton Margai Technical University (MMTU) to launch a transformative six-month vocational training program that aims to empower disadvantaged young people with hands-on skills and renewed hope.
The collaboration was sealed through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two institutions, laying the foundation for an ambitious nationwide initiative targeting marginalized youth including those affected by the destructive Kush drug epidemic. The courses, which range from plumbing and HVAC maintenance to nail technology, pastry and catering, hairdressing, graphic design, refrigeration and automobile repair, are designed not just to teach trades but to restore dignity, purpose, and economic opportunity.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Youth Affairs Minister Ibrahim Sannoh reflected on the devastating impact Kush has had on communities. He recounted his recent visit to neighborhoods severely affected by addiction, where he met young people eager for an escape from despair. What we are launching here today is not just a training program it is a second chance, Minister Sannoh said. We are handing our young people the tools to reclaim their future.”
Vice Chancellor and Principal of MMTU, Professor Philip Kanu, emphasized that the short courses would go beyond technical instruction, our mission is not simply to train workers, but to shape job creators, he said, entrepreneurship is at the heart of each course because we believe our youth have the potential to innovate, lead, and contribute meaningfully to national development.”
Also present at the event, deputy minister of technical and higher education, Mr. Sajoh Aziz-Kamara, commended MMTU’s leadership in advancing practical education. MMTU stands as one of the nation’s premier institutions for technical learning, this partnership demonstrates what is possible when government and academia come together to serve the public good, he stated.
The six-month courses, scheduled to begin later this year, will be intensive, inclusive, and transformative. participants will receive support throughout their training ensuring they not only complete their programs, but emerge confident and capable, with skills that are in high demand in Sierra Leone’s job market.
This is a model of what youth development should look like in our country, Minister Sannoh concluded, when we invest in young people not just with words, but with real opportunities they rise. And when they rise, so too does the nation.
As Sierra Leone continues to wrestle with the dual challenges of youth unemployment and addiction, this partnership between MOYA and MMTU offers more than technical training it offers a new narrative for young people, one of resilience, responsibility, and redemption.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Friday, June 13TH, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
