• Liberia, the EU and UNIDO began building a new TVET center in Tubmanburg to expand technical and vocational training for rural youth.
• The project, financed under the Youth Rising program, will offer practical training in technical and artisanal trades on the C.H. Dewey High School campus.
• Liberia faces major labor challenges, with youth unemployment at 2.13% in 2024 and nearly 80% of jobs in the informal sector.

As Liberia seeks to expand access to quality vocational training and reduce youth unemployment, a new internationally backed project aims to strengthen technical skills in rural communities and improve job prospects.

The Liberian government launched construction of a vocational training center in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, in partnership with the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Liberian Observer reported the development on December 2, confirming the rollout of a new TVET institution financed under the Youth Rising program.

The center will deliver practical training in technical and artisanal trades and aims to better align young people’s skills with local labor-market needs.

Authorities will build the facility on the C.H. Dewey High School campus, a strategic site to serve learners in rural northwestern Liberia. The project intends to boost employability, support entrepreneurship, and promote the inclusion of youth and women, as qualified training opportunities remain limited.

The launch ceremony gathered representatives from the EU, the Ministry of Education, UNIDO, local officials and community members.

Representing the Minister of Education, Deputy Minister for Instruction Amos A. Fully called the project a “valuable” initiative for a county where young people lack opportunities for qualified training.

“One of the main challenges for our youth is the absence of adequate space to acquire technical skills. Today, this challenge finds a response,” he said.

EU representative Lorpu Scott said the infrastructure reflects the bloc’s renewed commitment to Liberian youth. She stressed the goal of providing “quality education and concrete opportunities,” adding that every Liberian child “deserves a better and safer learning environment.”

The project comes as Liberia faces significant structural constraints in vocational education and labor markets. Data from 2024 place youth unemployment (ages 15–24) at 2.13%, though the figure masks widespread job insecurity. Recent government statistics show that 79.9% of employment remains in the informal sector.

This article was initially published in French by Félicien Houindo Lokossou

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum