The Ministry of Youth and Sports Liberia

03/09/2026

03/09/2026

MYS Trains Over 200 Vacation Job Beneficiaries to Strengthen Workplace Skills and Employability

Paynesville, Liberia — September 3, 2026: The Ministry of Youth and Sports, through its Project Delivery Unit (PDU), has commenced a two-week intensive capacity-building training for more than 200 young people participating in the ongoing Vacation Job Program.

The training is designed to equip beneficiaries with practical workplace knowledge and professional skills to enhance their readiness for the job market and improve their long-term employability.

Speaking during the training, Samuel G. Paye, Director of the Project Delivery Unit at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, said the initiative is intended to complement the practical work experience young people are gaining through the Vacation Job Program.

According to Director Paye, the program recruited more than 2,000 young people, who were assigned to different areas of work under various tracks.

He explained that the first track, which focused primarily on community cleanup activities, including drainage works, has been completed, while the current B1 and B2 tracks focus on workplace placements.

Beneficiaries under the current tracks are being placed within government ministries and agencies, as well as private institutions, where they are gaining practical experience in professional work environments.

“At the Ministry of Youth and Sports alone, we have approximately 200 young people, including cadets, who are gaining experience in an office environment,” Paye said.

He noted that one of the major challenges confronting young Liberians entering the labor market is the demand by employers for previous work experience.

Director Paye said the training seeks to help address this challenge by combining workplace exposure with targeted professional development, enabling participants to build the confidence and competencies required to compete for employment opportunities.

To determine the specific areas where beneficiaries needed additional support, the Project Delivery Unit developed and administered a Capacity Assessment Tool to assess the participants’ training needs.

Paye said the assessment identified five major areas in which participants expressed the need for additional knowledge and skills. These include policy, program and project management, procurement, data management, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E).

Based on the assessment findings, the Project Delivery Unit developed a targeted training program to address the identified capacity gaps.

Paye said the ultimate objective is to ensure that beneficiaries leave the program not only with workplace experience but also with practical skills and greater confidence to pursue employment opportunities beyond their temporary placements.

“If they are not employed by their host entity, they can have the confidence that they can scout for any job, considering their experience, and also get a job,” Paye explained.

The two-week training is being conducted in two groups to accommodate the participants’ workplace assignments. One group attends training on Mondays and Wednesdays, while the second group participates on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Upon completion of the training, participants are expected to receive certificates of participation in recognition of their successful completion of the capacity-building exercise.

Director Paye also acknowledged the support of the Ministry’s leadership and other individuals who have contributed to the successful rollout of the initiative, particularly Doug McArthur, whom he identified as a key supporter of the training program.

The initiative forms part of the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ broader efforts to ensure that youth employment interventions extend beyond temporary job placements by providing young people with practical workplace experience, professional skills, and increased confidence to compete in Liberia’s labor market.

03/09/2026

BASSA, WE SEE YOU!

Big S/O to our MYS Inclusion Coordinator in Grand Bassa County for showing up, doing the work, and making sure every young person counts.

Inclusion isn’t just a word, it’s about creating space, opening doors, and bringing every young person along.

Keep representing. Keep showing up. Keep making impact.

03/09/2026

Margibi and Sinoe, this is your moment! Congratulations to all our small scale grant applicants from Margibi and Sinoe! We’re proud of you all. This is just the beginning! Let’s goooooo

03/09/2026

YATC and Tumutu Agricultural Centers Set for Major Development and Production Boost
As Zarco Construction Company Signs Contract to Develop Agricultural Fields and Production Facilities

The Youth Agricultural Training Center (YATC) in Bensonville and the Tumutu Agricultural and Vocational Training Center in B**g County are set to benefit from major agricultural field development and production works under a new initiative aimed at strengthening vocational and agricultural training in Liberia.

The project is being implemented as part of the Youth Mentorship and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, an initiative financed by the World Bank through the Rural Economic Transformation Project (RETRAP).

Speaking during the contract turnover ceremony, Assistant Minister for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Hon. Tamba F. Collins, said the initiative is designed to strengthen agriculture at vocational training centers under the Ministry of Youth and Sports while creating new opportunities for young Liberians to participate in agriculture, entrepreneurship, and value addition.

According to Assistant Minister Collins, the initiative has two major components: mentorship and entrepreneurship, and agricultural field production and site development.

He explained that the mentorship and entrepreneurship component will target 100 young people from Liberia’s 15 counties, including individuals directly engaged in agricultural production and others participating in different segments of the agricultural value chain.

The beneficiaries will be trained in two cohorts of 50 participants each, with each cohort participating in a three-month mentorship and entrepreneurship bootcamp at YATC in Bensonville.

The program will also provide participants with opportunities to pitch their business ideas and compete for seed grants. Of the approximately US$250,000 allocated to the mentorship and entrepreneurship component, US$50,000 will be provided as seed grants to qualified and deserving participants following completion of the training.

Assistant Minister Collins said YATC was selected to host the bootcamp because Tumutu currently has students occupying its dormitory facilities. He noted that renovation works on the boys’ and girls’ dormitories at YATC are nearing completion, positioning the center to accommodate the trainees.

Assistant Minister Collins said the company is expected to work simultaneously at the two sites, developing agricultural production areas and other facilities necessary to support practical training and increased agricultural productivity.

He further clarified that the company contracted for the field development works is separate from the entity selected to implement the mentorship and entrepreneurship component.

According to him, Youth Cell Liberia has received a notice of award to implement the mentorship and entrepreneurship component, with the contract expected to be finalized in the coming days.

Assistant Minister Collins emphasized that the two components are intended to complement each other by providing young Liberians with practical agricultural skills, business management knowledge, and entrepreneurial capacity.

He said that following the training, qualified participants will have the opportunity to access seed grants through the Ministry of Agriculture’s RETRAP Project Management Unit (PMU), based on their performance and ranking.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports describes the initiative as part of its broader efforts to reposition vocational and agricultural training centers as platforms for skills development, youth employment, entrepreneurship, agricultural production, and economic empowerment across Liberia.

The program is also expected to strengthen the link between vocational education and the agricultural value chain, providing young Liberians with practical opportunities to acquire skills, develop businesses, and contribute to Liberia’s food production and economic transformation.

03/09/2026

Good Afternoon Grand Bassa! ❤️😍

02/09/2026

GRAND GEDEH & GRAND CAPE MOUNT, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU!

The wait is over! We’re proud to announce the finalists for the Small Scale Grant in Grand Gedeh and Grand Cape Mount Counties.

Your ideas, determination, and hard work have brought you one step closer to turning opportunity into impact.

Congratulations, finalists! Your journey continues from here.

02/09/2026

Congratulations to our finalists from BOMI AND BASSA! If you see your name or relatives names, please call them and congratulate them!

Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!

02/09/2026

Good Afternoon Montserrado County! This is your time. Congratulations to all of our shortlisted applicants! We’re rooting for you!

02/09/2026

RELEASE

MYS Advances Youth Employment Agenda Through Fisheries and Aquaculture TVET Roundtable

Monrovia, Liberia | September 2, 2026 — The Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS), through its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program, yesterday joined the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences, development partners, and technical experts for Liberia’s first TVET in Fisheries Roundtable, aimed at expanding economic opportunities for young Liberians through skills development, entrepreneurship, and enterprise creation.

The roundtable provided a platform for stakeholders to examine how Liberia can better position its fisheries and aquaculture sector as a viable pathway for youth employment and business development.

For the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the engagement represents an important step in strengthening the connection between skills training and actual economic opportunities for young people.

The Ministry recognizes that preparing young Liberians for the world of work must go beyond classroom-based training. Young people must also be equipped with practical skills, entrepreneurial support, access to finance, and connections to markets that enable them to turn their knowledge into sustainable livelihoods and businesses.

Liberia’s fisheries and aquaculture value chain presents significant opportunities in areas including canoe and fiberglass boat construction, outboard engine repair, fishing gear production, fish feed manufacturing, aquaculture, fish processing and packaging, cold-chain services, and modern fish preservation technologies.

These opportunities are particularly relevant to young people in Liberia’s coastal and inland counties, where fisheries and aquaculture can serve as important drivers of employment, enterprise development, food security, and local economic growth.

The discussions therefore emphasized the need for an integrated pathway that supports young people from skills acquisition through enterprise development and job creation:

TRAIN → INCUBATE → FINANCE → CONNECT TO MARKETS → BUILD BUSINESSES → CREATE JOBS

As a follow-up to the roundtable, stakeholders will undertake a comprehensive assessment to inform the development of a market-oriented Fisheries TVET and Enterprise Development Program. The assessment is expected to identify market demands, skills gaps, enterprise opportunities, and other interventions required to prepare young Liberians for meaningful and sustainable participation in the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports views this initiative as consistent with its broader mandate to equip young Liberians with relevant skills and create pathways toward productive employment, entrepreneurship, and economic independence.

The Ministry commends NaFAA for convening the roundtable and acknowledges the participation of the Deputy Minister for TVET, Hon. Laraamand Shenkin Nyonton, and the Ministry’s technical team, as well as all participating institutions, development partners, and technical experts.

The Ministry remains committed to working with government institutions and partners to expand market-driven TVET opportunities and ensure that skills development translates into tangible economic opportunities for Liberia’s young population.

The goal is clear: to move young Liberians from training to opportunity, from opportunity to enterprise, and from enterprise to job creation.

A skilled youth. A productive workforce. A stronger Liberia.

P. Oxford Browne
Director of Press & Public Affairs