The Commissioner of the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) – Amb. Ernest Mbaimba Ndomahina has received Alessia Castelfranco – the Head of the International Organisation on Migration (IOM) development fund, Headquarters, Geneva – and Christos Christodoulides, the Head of the IOM office, Sierra Leone.
During his courtesy call to the International Organization for Migration in Geneva. Commissioner Ndomahina met with Deputy Director General, Madam Irena Vojackova-Sollorano, ‘’where they briefly discussed critical issues around displacement, the effects of climate change, and support to NaCSA, including the Bio’s Big Five Agenda and Manifesto commitments.
He extended his sincere appreciation for the recent three hundred thousand dollars ($ 300,000) IOM Development Funding support for the implementation of the ‘’Combatting Irregular Migration through Youth Empowerment and Community Engagement Project in Sierra Leone’’, which, he said, aligns with the Medium-Term National Development Framework (MT-NDF 2019-2023) for 24 months.
Following the subsequent engagements at the technical and managerial levels, and considering the urgent need to ensure that the ‘’Combatting Irregular Migration through Youth Empowerment and Community Engagement Project in Sierra Leone’’ is implemented efficiently, Alessia Castelfranco had a fruitful engagement with NaCSA. ‘’…we are pleased with the progress made so far and want to assure you of our continued commitment to ensuring that this project is a success.’’
She noted.
Commissioner Ndomahina reiterated the government’s commitment to addressing the welfare of vulnerable Sierra Leoneans, including returnees, persons with disabilities and women. ‘’… within the Big Five Game Changers framework, the government of His Excellency Dr Julius Maada Bio has strategically outlined aspirations for the advancement of all Sierra Leoneans, with young people at the pinnacle.’’ Amb. Ndomahina noted.
The project is funded by IOM’s Internal Development Fund (IDF), covering 24 months, starting from December 2023. The main aim of the project is to combat irregular migration through youth empowerment and community engagement whilst contributing to reducing the push factors towards rural-to-urban, and irregular migration of youths in Sierra Leone.
NaCSA plays a critical role in supporting inclusive and gender-sensitive job creation and livelihood opportunities for youths in Sierra Leone. It is expected that at the end of the project implementation period, the project will enhance the empowerment of a good number of youths. The project has one broad Outcome with two Outputs: provide for market needs assessment in targeted areas and dissemination of the results of the assessment, and provide for engagement of selected communities for specialized training courses for skills development that are tailored for community-based needs.
