Being invited to speak at this launch is meaningful for many young Liberians, not because our influence is where it should be, but because our presence here symbolizes the direction we hope the country is moving toward. Moments like this remind us that youth engagement must not be ceremonial. It must become a consistent and genuine part of national development.
My appreciation goes to the World Bank Group for including young people through every stage of the formulation of this Country Partnership Framework for 2025–2030. That is part of the reason I stand here today.
Some time ago, a young lady came to me and said, “Alphia, I am a graduate, and I am so tired. Getting through high school and university was hard. I need a job, anything.” I asked, “Anything?” She replied, “Yes, even cleaning offices.”
I paused and asked, “With your college credentials?” She looked at me and said something I will never forget: “I just need to start. Right now, I cannot do much else.”
Her honesty moved me because her story is not unique. It mirrors the reality of many young Liberians navigating an economy where opportunity often exists on the horizon but not within reach. Her words came back to me as I read the Country Partnership Framework, especially the section on education, which focuses on literacy, basic skills, and building human capacity for job readiness. That is exactly what Liberia’s youth need.
Liberia has one of the youngest populations in the world, and many young people still struggle to secure stable work. Youth unemployment data shows that entering the job market remains difficult for a large share of young Liberians. At the same time, early-grade reading assessments reveal that over 90% of third-grade students are reading well below the national fluency levels linked to comprehension. These realities highlight the gaps in human capital that continue to limit opportunities for young people across the country.
This CPF was thoughtfully crafted. Its message is clear: over the next five years, the World Bank Group’s partnership with Liberia will focus on creating more and better jobs for Liberians. For young people, this commitment matters because it connects policy to possibility. It means that the investments and reforms made in the coming years can translate into real opportunities.
The CPF also aligns with the government’s Arrest Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID), which calls for a national reset. Liberia is shifting from a concession-based, state-led model to one that emphasizes value addition, private-sector development, and inclusive economic growth. This shift is essential for a country where the labor force is expanding faster than the economy can absorb.
As someone who works closely with young people, I see every day how deeply they want to be part of Liberia’s progress. In communities such as West Point, Banjor, Blaygay-Pa, Owensgrove, Buzzi Quarter, and across the entire country, young people are repairing electronics, running startups like Ignite EcoGear, Environmental Rescue Initiative, Liberia I.T. Student Union, and Gonet Academy, while others are building civic groups through Naymote Liberia, tutoring, coding, and creating value with limited support.
Their determination is not what needs fixing. What requires strengthening are the pathways that link their resilience to real opportunity.
Youth potential is Liberia’s greatest natural resource. If we fail to nurture it, we limit the very future we hope to build. The CPF recognizes this. It works to strengthen people’s skills, improve services, build stronger institutions, and create space for the private sector to thrive. These are the systems that determine whether a young person gets a job, starts a business, or builds a stable future. When these systems work, the impact is immediate for families, communities, and the nation.
For this CPF to succeed, collaboration will be essential. Government institutions, development partners, civil society, youth-led organizations, and the private sector all have important roles to play. The CPF emphasizes the importance of strong fundamentals such as macroeconomic stability, accountability, and institutions that deliver. With these in place, development can reach every county, not just the capital, because Monrovia is not Liberia.
To the World Bank Group and the Government of Liberia, thank you for placing young people and women at the heart of this strategy. And to my fellow young Liberians, I encourage you to stay engaged. Read the CPF. Understand what it promises. Track its progress. Hold all parties involved accountable for the outcomes it should deliver.
Liberia’s future will be shaped by the choices we make today and by the opportunities we create for the generation that will inherit this nation. There is a growing distress among young people, which reminds me of Isaiah 40:30: “Even youths grow weary.” But if we build systems that match the strength, resilience, and imagination of Liberian youth, our progress will not only be possible, but it will also be unstoppable.
And when this CPF is fully implemented, it should mean that young people, like the young lady whose story I shared here today, will not have to settle for “anything” just to survive. Instead, they will benefit from a Liberia where their education, skills, and potential finally meet real opportunity.
Thank you.
