By Foday Moriba Conteh
As part of their goal to enhance access and improve on connections and actions to support Youth Actions across the Region and promoting cross border and intergenerational partnership in the MRU States, Mano River Youth Network in collaboration with ECOWAS Youth Council, with Support From Defence For Children International Sierra Leone and the Fund For Global Human Right, on Sunday 14th February 2021, concluded a three-day Youth Cross Border Summit, which was held in Makeni City, Northern Sierra Leone.
Mano River Youth Network Sierra Leone in partnership with Guinea and Liberia and the ECOWAS Youth Council hosted a three days long SUMMIT geared towards solidifying and amplifying Youth Voices and the benevolent work done by Youths in contributing to national and Global Development.
In spite of the global call for adoption of an attitude of Youth inclusion and Participation in the development and governance structure, Youths underpowered and unemployment, especially the female sex, continue to be accepted as a way of life in the name of standing cultures and unavailable resources, particularly in the low income earning settings.
The Summit brought youth from not only the Mano River Youth Network and the ECOWAS Youth Council in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia but Youths across the MRU Region to assess the potential actions that can be taken by Youths in solving issues affecting them and their nation.
As young people, they know the problems they faced more than anyone, and they have the creative ideas, skills and knowledge and energy to identifying and solving issues of affecting us in the MRU Region.
The cross border youth summit did not only promote youth action, but as well as improving and amplifying youth voices in the MRU Regions and promote effective cooperation and coordination between youths, adults and state officials and MRU Secretariat and ECOWAS in the Mano River Union Region.
Moreover, consultative and constructive engagements with Youths, Policy Makers, Government, tribal and societal heads, heads of institutions of social services and development agencies have the potential to eliminate Youth abuse and violence completely. Therefore, the full implementation of this project, with effective utilization of the available social structures, would significantly improve the rate of Youth Actions in the MRU region.
