The Ministry of Youth Affairs

02/12/2025

Happening Now‼️

His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio is the Guest of Honour at the launch of the Alternative Livelihoods Training for Youth Bike Riders for Peace and the Status of Youth Report 2025, organized by the The Ministry of Youth Affairs in partnership with UN Capital Development Fund and UNDP in Sierra Leone

The programme equips bike riders with skills, income opportunities, and a stronger role in promoting peace within their communities.

Follow the event live on Truth Media and State House Sierra Leone

04/11/2025

The Ministry of Youth Affairs is pleased to announce that Sierra Leone has been selected for the Global Goals 2030: Africa Scholarship program, in partnership with the Graduate Institute of Financial Sciences (GIFS).

The program will fund 500 scholarships for Sierra Leonean youth (100 PhD, 100 Masters, 300 Undergraduate).

Application Period: 31st October 2025 – 30th November 2025
Apply online: www.globalgoals-2030.com

For more information, contact:
Mr. Henry King, Senior Assistant Secretary
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +23280691447

03/11/2025

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Ministry of Defence Join Hands to Support Sierra Leone’s Youth‼️

The Ministry of Youth Affairs (MOYA) and the Ministry of Defence and Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) have agreed to work together to help build discipline, leadership, and a sense of service among young people across the country.

The agreement, signed at the Defence Headquarters in Cockerill Barracks, sets the stage for joint activities that will help prepare young people to contribute positively to their communities and the nation.

Minister of Youth Affairs, Mr. Ibrahim Sannoh, said the partnership shows government’s strong commitment to giving young people the right values and opportunities to succeed. “This is about preparing our youth to take charge of their future with discipline and purpose,” he said.

Deputy Minister of Defence, Colonel (Rtd) Muana Brima Massaquoi, described the partnership as an important step toward national unity and progress, adding that it will give young people more chances to learn and grow through meaningful programmes.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Amara Idara Bangura, welcomed the collaboration, noting that the Armed Forces are ready to support youth programmes that promote discipline, leadership, and patriotism.

The partnership between MOYA and RSLAF is expected to create training and mentorship opportunities that strengthen youth leadership, job readiness, and community involvement.

03/11/2025

03/11/2025

✨ Get Ready for LCOY Sierra Leone 2025!
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‎The countdown is on!
‎Join passionate young changemakers from across the country for the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) Sierra Leone 2025 happening from 29th to 30th October 2025 at the Vanilla Complex, Aberdeen, Freetown.
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‎Under the theme “Youth at the Heart of Climate Policy and Community Transformation for a Just and Sustainable Future,” this year’s LCOY brings together vibrant minds for panel discussions, workshops, exhibitions, a national youth statement, and more! 💡🌱
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‎It’s more than a conference it’s a movement for action, innovation, and sustainability led by young people.
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‎📅 Date: 29th–30th October 2025
‎📍 Venue: Vanilla Complex, Aberdeen, Freetown
‎🕘 Time: 9:00 a.m. daily
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The Ministry of Youth Affairs
Plan International
Save the Children Sierra Leone
C40 Cities
YOTA - Youth Opportunity & Transformation in Africa

24/10/2025

Happy Birthday, Hon. Ibrahim Sannoh

You have shown what it means to truly listen, to empower, and to believe in the potential of young people.

Thank you for leading with heart, vision, and consistency, and for always putting young people at the centre of your work.

Wishing you good health, peace of mind, and many more years of inspiring leadership.

29/09/2025

Sierra Leone Co-Chairs WPAY30 at the United Nations‼️

Sierra Leone through Hon. Ibrahim Sannoh, Minister of Youth Affairs, stood at the helm of history, co-chairing the UN’s commemoration of 30 years of the World Programme of Action for Youth, alongside H.E. Dr. Terrance M. Drew, Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis. From the floor of the General Assembly, the message was unambiguous, the future of multilateralism will be judged by how it treats its youngest citizens.

Minister Sannoh reminded the world that in Sierra Leone, where over 70% of the population is under 35, inclusion cannot be ceremonial. It must mean seats at the table, financing that reaches youth directly, policies that confront climate change and digital divides, and structures that make youth co-authors, not footnotes, of the decisions that will shape their lives . Anything less is a betrayal of the next generation.

Closing the session, Sierra Leone spoke truth to power, frameworks without financing, offices without authority, and anniversaries without accountability do not change lives. The next 30 years of WPAY must be marked not by promises but by delivery, where young people everywhere move from the margins of rhetoric to the center of action. Only then will the UN truly embody universality, and only then will peace be worthy of its name.

27/09/2025

Sierra Leone Co-Chairs WPAY30 at the United Nations‼️

Sierra Leone proudly co-chaired, alongside H.E. Dr. Terrance M. Drew, Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Panel 1 of the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY30).

The theme “Advancing Implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth to Leave No One Behind” set the stage for a bold call: three decades after its adoption, WPAY must shift from commitments to delivery.

Representing Sierra Leone, Hon. Ibrahim Sannoh, Minister of Youth Affairs, emphasized that for a nation where 70% of the population is under 35, youth inclusion cannot remain symbolic, it must be institutionalized, financed, and accountable.

As Co-Chairs with Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sierra Leone championed key priorities for the future of youth development , from inclusive participation and economic empowerment, to climate action, mental health, digital inclusion, and youth-led decision-making.

In his closing, Minister Sannoh called for real action,
“Frameworks without financing, and anniversaries without accountability, do not change lives.”

Sierra Leone is driving youth-centered leadership on the global stage, ensuring young voices are not just heard, but are part of the future.

24/09/2025

During the margins of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Hon. Ibrahim Sannoh, Minister of Youth Affairs of Sierra Leone, delivered the keynote address at the youth side event “From Ideas to Infrastructure: Youth as Agents in Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Development” .

In his keynote, the Minister underscored Sierra Leone’s leadership in advancing youth digital empowerment, stressing that artificial intelligence can only serve as a force for development if young people are recognized as architects of innovation, not passive users. He highlighted Sierra Leone’s investments in digital training, entrepreneurship, and partnerships to ensure AI becomes a bridge to opportunity rather than a divider
Following his intervention, the Minister was interviewed by Ms. Ziyanda Mtshontshi of Voice of Africa, where he amplified Sierra Leone’s vision to a continental and global audience, calling for increased investment in youth innovation, digital infrastructure, and financing models that allow African youth to translate ideas into enterprises.

These engagements demonstrated Sierra Leone’s conviction that youth are not the leaders of tomorrow, but of today, and reaffirmed the country’s determination to position its young people at the center of global digital transformation.

24/09/2025

At the Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers 2025, held on the margins of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Hon. Ibrahim Sannoh, Minister of Youth Affairs of Sierra Leone, joined global leaders, innovators, and changemakers to advance the vision of a future without preventable child deaths.

In a space that brought together distinguished figures such as Bill Gates, Alessandra Galloni, Jon Batiste, Olivia Wilde, Pastor Rick Warren, Dr. Hellen Barsosio, and the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, Minister Sannoh engaged in substantive exchanges on how countries like Sierra Leone are protecting past gains in maternal and child health while unlocking new opportunities for youth-driven solutions.

His participation underscored Sierra Leone’s conviction that safeguarding the lives of children goes hand in hand with investing in young people as co-creators of progress. By engaging with global partners, the Minister reinforced Sierra Leone’s call for collective action and equitable investment to ensure that no child dies from preventable causes and that every young person is equipped to lead in building a healthier, more inclusive future.