Empowering the Future -25,000 Youth to Benefit from National Service Program

MONROVIA – In a bid to harness the potential of Liberia’s young population and drive sustainable development, the government has launched a groundbreaking National Service Program aimed at empowering 25,000 young Liberians through education, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and community service. With an initial budget of $1 million, this ambitious initiative seeks to address the country’s pressing youth unemployment and skills gap, while fostering a new generation of leaders and change-makers. The Analyst reports.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports has announced the launch of an ambitious National Service Program, a five-year youth development initiative designed to engage, train, and empower over 25,000 young people across Liberia between 2025 and 2030.

The disclosure was made on Thursday, October 2, 2025, at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism’s (MICAT) regular press briefing by Hon. Alphonso Y. Belleh II, Acting Deputy Minister for Youth Development, who represented Minister Jeror Cole Bangalu and the leadership of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

According to Hon. Belleh, the program, with an initial budget of $1 million, is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, with support from development partners.

‘You can build roads, electricity, and infrastructure, but if young people leave school with nothing to do and no money in their pockets, development will not be meaningful,” Belleh stressed. “This program is about mentoring and empowering youth so they too can contribute meaningfully to the growth of our country.”

The National Service Program has eight major components, each targeting specific challenges affecting Liberian youth.

The program will engage 700 young people in road maintenance activities in Bomi, Lofa, Grand Bassa, Margibi, and Gbarpolu Counties as a short-term employment and skills program. Additionally, 150 tutors will be recruited and trained to prepare 20,000 12th graders across underserved counties for the WASSCE exams.

The program will also provide grants of $300 each to 300 youth entrepreneurs in Montserrado, Grand Bassa, Grand Gedeh, Lofa, and Bong Counties to strengthen their small businesses.

Furthermore, 254 young people will be placed in government institutions and organizations for three months, receiving stipends of $150 per month while gaining mentorship and possible absorption into the workforce.

Other components of the program include a youth literacy initiative targeting 100 beneficiaries in Gbarpolu County, a university mentorship program partnering with the Ministry of Commerce and UNDP, a special presidential “Back to School” initiative providing educational supplies and uniforms to 1,000 vulnerable school children, and a youth media engagement component collaborating with the Ministry of Information to recruit and train young people in community radio stations.

Belleh emphasized that the National Service Program is not just about short-term interventions but about sustainable empowerment and inclusion of youth in national development.

“Our ultimate goal is not simply to give out stipends,” he said. “It is to mentor, train, and deploy young people so they can find permanent opportunities in the Liberian economy.”

The Ministry is already working with the Ministry of Finance to increase funding for the NSP in the 2026 national budget to expand its reach and impact.

The program aims to reach 25,000 direct beneficiaries across multiple sectors, while indirectly impacting hundreds of thousands of families and communities nationwide.

By combining education, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and community service, the program seeks to reduce youth unemployment, improve academic outcomes, and promote civic responsibility.

“As a government, we are committed to ensuring that young people are not left behind in the development drive of this country,” Belleh concluded. “The NSP is proof that we believe in investing in the future of Liberia through its greatest asset — its youth.”