Cornelia Kruah is under the confirmation microscope. If approved, she will become Liberia's youngest ever female Minister of Youth and Sports. That is historic. But history alone will not solve the problems waiting on her desk.
This moment is bigger than one appointment. It is bigger than one ministry. It is about what we are prepared to do with the thousands of young people coming of age in this country every year.
We talk often about Liberia's "youth bulge." It sounds technical. But there is nothing technical about it. It is the young man who finished high school and is now riding a motorbike because that is what is available. It is the college graduate who has certificates but no connections. It is the young woman selling in the market who still dreams of becoming a nurse or running her own business one day.
These are not idle youth. They are navigating a system that does not yet have clear pathways.
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The Ministry of Youth and Sports cannot carry this alone. Let us say that plainly. If we expect that ministry to fix unemployment, skills mismatch, business financing, agricultural bottlenecks, and industry gaps by itself, we are setting it up to fail.
Youth advancement is not a department. It is an ecosystem.
When schools produce graduates without practical skills, that involves Education. When companies say they cannot find trained workers, that involves Labor and the private sector. When young entrepreneurs attend workshop after workshop but cannot access small capital to grow, that involves Commerce and Finance. When young farmers lose produce because there are no storage or processing facilities, that involves Agriculture and infrastructure planning.
So what, then, is the real role of the Youth and Sports Ministry?
It must become a bridge. A coordinator. A loud and persistent voice at the table reminding every other ministry that their policies have youth consequences. It must push for alignment, not duplication. It must insist that programs are not just launched for ceremony, but designed to lead somewhere.
Even sports, which many people reduce to football matches and tournaments, can become serious business if structured properly. Coaching, sports medicine, facility management, event promotion -- these are jobs. But only if there is certification, planning, and partnership with the private sector. Otherwise, we simply celebrate talent without building industry around it.
And beyond sports, Liberia's youth need real ladders. Agriculture can employ thousands if we move beyond subsistence and invest in processing and storage. Technology can open new markets if connectivity and training improve. The creative sector is full of promise, but promise alone does not pay rent.
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What young people are asking for is not charity. They are asking for direction. They are asking for systems that make effort worth it.
There is also a cultural issue we must confront. Government agencies often move slowly while young people's lives move fast. Committees are formed. Reports are drafted. Months pass. Meanwhile, frustration grows. If we want youth to believe in the system, the system must move with urgency and coordination.
The confirmation of Cornelia Kruah should therefore trigger a national conversation. Not about personality. Not about age. But about whether we are finally ready to treat youth development as serious economic policy.
Because the truth is simple: if Liberia fails its youth, instability will not be far behind. But if Liberia invests wisely, plans carefully, and coordinates across ministries and sectors, this same youth population can become the engine that drives growth.
The morning after confirmation will matter more than the hearing itself. Will ministries sit together and design linked programs? Will the private sector open more structured opportunities? Will budgets reflect real priorities?
Youth work is not soft work. It is hard economic work. It touches jobs, productivity, security, and national dignity.
One minister cannot fix everything. But one minister, if supported by a whole-of-government approach, can help steer the country in the right direction.
The ball is not only in her court. It is in ours.
