Former Finance Minister David Farhat says “Liberia is still sitting on a time bomb as long as the problem of unemployment of young people is not resolved.”
Farhart, a one-time presidential candidate is calling on President George Manneh Weah to demonstrate serious action towards providing answers to the questions of jobs for young people within his first 100 days in office.
In an interview on Tuesday, Farhat pointed out that the expectations of young people are very high and most of them do not understand the problem confronting the country.
The former Finance Minister Minister during the administration of the late President Samuel K. Doe in the 1980s encouraged the CDC-led government “to take the bull by the horn” by seeking the assistance of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for short and long term solutions.
He maintained that Liberia will be heading for trouble, if this government does not address the problem of the youth unemployment because it has the propensity to create chaos.
In his inaugural speech on Monday, President Weah spoke of the need for huge investments in agriculture, one of the sources to spur big employment for the youthful population.
“To change the structure of the Liberian economy will require huge investments in agriculture, infrastructure, in human capital, and in technology. We hope our international development partners will assist us in this transformation. Meanwhile, on behalf of all Liberians, I would like to thank the international community for the invaluable contributions they have made to our peace and economic development,” the 51-year-old Liberian leader said.
Meanwhile, former Finance Minister Farhart has said the Liberian economy is heading towards a downward trend and there is an urgent need to arrest the situation. Report by Augustine Octavius