Youth activist Duku Jallah has officially declared his candidacy for the presidency of the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY). In his announcement, Jallah expressed his belief in the potential of young people to shape Liberia’s future and highlighted the collective effort of youth across the country that has inspired his decision to run.
“Today I announce my intention to seek the presidency of the Federation of Liberian Youth. I do so with humility, gratitude, and a deep belief in the power of young people to shape the future of our country,” Jallah said. “This is not a decision I make alone. It is a step taken with the hopes and voices of young people from across Liberia who have worked with me, challenged me, and inspired me to believe that we can do more.”
The campaign to become FLY president, Jallah says, is not about him. “It is about us. It is about a generation that refuses to be forgotten and a movement that is ready to rise again,” he noted.
Reflecting on his previous role as Head of Secretariat at FLY, Jallah emphasized the importance of youth empowerment and outlined his vision for the organization, including building on past achievements and fostering financial transparency, programmatic activity, and political independence within FLY.
“When I served as Head of Secretariat at FLY, we worked not just to manage an institution but to reimagine its purpose,” he noted. “Together we developed the Up to Us National Youth Agenda, a bold framework that called for opportunity, justice, and leadership for every young person in this country.”
He added that though that vision was never fully realized, the work we began still lives in the hearts of those who wrote it and in the dreams of those who need it.
Jallah’s platform focuses on implementing the Up to Us National Youth Agenda, advocating for a National Youth Employment Agency to address youth unemployment, and pushing for a national youth quota law to ensure young voices are heard in decision-making processes.
He aims to restore trust in youth leadership and governance, emphasizing the unity and strength of the Liberian youth community.
“I remember standing with young leaders in Buutuo, Nimba County, the very place where our civil war began. There we signed the Buutuo Declaration. It was a bold declaration, but it was also a promise,” he said. “A promise to leave behind division and stand for peace. That moment taught me that unity is not an idea. It is a choice we must make every single day.”
“We were able to build trust with partners, and through that trust, we secured critical support for programs that mattered. Environmental advocacy, youth political participation, and the Youth Situation Room, Liberia’s first real-time data system for monitoring youth engagement in elections. Those were not dreams; they were our reality, a reality made possible by young people who believed in doing things differently.”
With a call for unity and collective action, Jallah encourages young people across Liberia to join him on this journey towards a better future for the nation.
Since stepping down as Head of Secretariat, Jallah noted, “I have not stepped away. I have continued to organize youth town halls across Liberia to hear directly from young people and give them the space to be heard. I have worked with lawmakers to build the Youth Legislative Caucus, a new platform to ensure that young voices are not only represented but respected at the highest levels of government. Together we have started something that must now be completed. That is why I am running.”
“I am running to build on the accomplishments of the current administration to construct FLY into a credible national voice for youth. I am running to rebuild the institution from the inside out. To establish systems that work. To make FLY financially transparent, programmatically active, and politically independent.”
He noted that she wants to bring FLY back to every county, every campus, every youth group, not as a name but as a presence.
“We will push for the full implementation of the Up to Us National Youth Agenda. We will champion a National Youth Employment Agency to directly confront the crisis of youth unemployment. We will advocate for a national youth quota law so that young people are not just talked about but are decision makers at the table,” he said. “And most of all, we will restore trust in the idea that when young people organize, we can govern ourselves with integrity, discipline, and vision.”
As a candidate for the FLY presidency, he envisions a renewed focus on youth empowerment and representation at all levels of society.
“To every young person who feels overlooked, underestimated, or unheard, I want you to know this. You are not alone. This movement belongs to you. From Pleebo to Paynesville, from Voinjama to New Kru Town, we are one youth. One voice. One future. And our time is now. Let us walk this road together.”
