Presentation of assorted ICT equipment; Laptops, HP All in One Desktop, Printer, NAS Drive , Rachel Offline Content device, Etc to the Deputy Minster J. Bryant McGill for onward Distribution to the beneficiaries.
Monrovia– The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in collaboration with UN Women and the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), has provided digital tools to youth organizations in Liberia.
This initiative is part of the Youth Promotion Initiative (YPI), which aims to leverage digital opportunities to enhance youth civic participation and support peacebuilding efforts in Liberia.
The project under the theme “Accelerating Digital Opportunities for Youth Civic Participation as a Lever for Building and Sustaining Peace in Liberia,” the initiative convened 12 youth- and women-led Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from Montserrado and Lofa Counties to explore digital tools for sustaining and accelerating peace.
The participating Civil Society Organizations, CSOs from Montserrado included the National Union of the Disabled of Liberia (NUOD), Girls in Tech Club, Federation of Liberia Youth (FLY), Liberia National Student Union (LINSU), West African Network for Peace (WANEP), African Youth Fellowship (AFY), Center of Exchange of Intellectual Opinion (CEIO), Books Before Boys, and the Mano River Youth Parliament (MRUYP). From Lofa County, the Yeala Peace Hut, Borders Defender Community Forum, and Konia Peace Hut joined the initiative, bringing their rich experiences in grassroots peacebuilding.
The project, funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, UNFPA, UN Women, and OHCHR, and implemented by YMCA Liberia, provided much-needed digital tools to the CSOs for empowerment. The donations included Smart TVs, printers, smart projectors, NAS SSK Drives for document saving/archiving, Offline Content Rachel Devices, and smart phone card printers. These modern ICT tools are expected to significantly enhance the operational capacity of these organizations, improving digital advocacy, research, and peacebuilding efforts across Liberia.
The initiative’s official event was well attended by a cross-section of donors and dignitaries, including the Country Director of UNFPA, representatives from UN Women, OHCHR, and the UN Peacebuilding Fund, as well as Honorable Bryant McGill from the Ministry of Youth & Sports. Additionally, members of the Peacebuilding Working Group, women’s organizations, and the general public actively mini, reaffirming their commitment to youth engagement in peacebuilding.
The event underscored the crucial role that digital tools and ICT modernization play in fostering sustainable peace and civic engagement. It highlighted how young people and women-led organizations are utilizing digital technologies to bridge information gaps, advocate for peace, and engage in meaningful dialogue with decision-makers.
As Liberia continues its journey towards sustained peace and development, initiatives such as YPI serve as a blueprint for integrating technology with grassroots peace efforts. The provision of digital tools to CSOs ensures that youth-led organizations are well-equipped to document, analyze, and disseminate information critical to conflict resolution and civic engagement. With support from international donors and implementing partners, the Youth Promotion Initiative is paving the way for a more inclusive, digitally empowered, and peaceful Liberia. The success of this program sets a precedent for future digital interventions aimed at strengthening youth leadership and participation in governance and peacebuilding.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, UNFPA’s Resident Representative in Liberia, Bidisha Pillai emphasized the transformative power of technology in shaping a more inclusive and equitable society.
She highlighted how young people, born into a digital world, have adapted to technological advancements, leveraging them to access education, employment, and civil participation. According to her, technology can be a powerful tool for reducing inequality, promoting gender equity, and fostering peace through innovation and idea-sharing.
She also stressed the role of technology in raising awareness and mobilizing action on global issues like climate change, stressing that it enabled grassroots movements to gain visibility and grow into impactful local initiatives.
However, Pillai acknowledged the dual nature of technology, emphasizing the need to ensure young people have access to safe digital tools. She pointed out that technology can empower youth with vital information about sexual and reproductive health, enabling them to make informed decisions.
“Technology has good sides and bad sides and it is very important for us to make sure that the technology and tools that are in the hands of young people are safe. And it can increase the access of young people to information about sexual and reproductive health, services, supplies and empower them to make informed decisions,” she stated.
She expressed excitement about a project aimed at increasing youth participation in civic decision-making. Said Pillai, “This initiative seeks to transform youth-led advocacy centers and women-led peace hubs into platforms for meaningful discussions, political engagement, and intergenerational dialogues. By connecting young people with political actors, women leaders, mentors, and traditional and religious figures through a common digital interface, the project aims to enhance their role in formal civic platforms.”
Deputy Minister for Youth Development at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, J. Bryant McGill, also lauded partners for the initiative, highlighting its alignment with the government’s ARREST Agenda, which prioritizes digital transformation for youth development.
Also speaking, UN Women representative Bega Meles, reaffirmed her organization’s commitment to empowering women and youth in Liberia.
In her remarks, chief executive officer of YMCA Liberia, Madam Vonyee Newton Kolison expressed appreciation to the UNFPA and other development partners for their continued support to youth organizations in Liberia.
She highlighted the crucial role these partners have played in empowering young people by providing them with essential digital tools to enhance their operational efficiency.
Madam Kolison emphasized that the provision of digital tools is a game-changer for youth-led organizations, enabling them to improve communication, data management, advocacy, and service delivery. She noted that in an increasingly digital world, access to such resources strengthens the capacity of young leaders to drive change, engage in meaningful dialogue, and contribute to national development efforts.
Also speaking was the YMCA, Liberia, Ydigital Startup Manager, Nynati Doepoh who stressed that the equipment has a propensity o rebrand any CSO office location into a resource center to thousands of educational offline contents on peace building, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), comprehensive sexuality education (CES), subject matter books, academic books for primary to TVET and college level learning.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Abdullah Bility, Vice President for International Affairs at the Federation of Liberian Youths, expressed gratitude to donors for recognizing young people as key partners in peacebuilding. Similarly, Delvin Morris, representing the Women in Peace Building Network Program, welcomed the initiative and pledged to use the digital tools effectively.
